Miguel Leal is the cofounder and CEO of SOMOS Foods, where he spends his days thinking about how to bring easy-to-make Mexican food to as many American consumers as possible. In the past year, SOMOS has expanded its retail distribution to Target, Walmart, and Publix shelves, putting SOMOS in more than 11,000 retail locations across the US.
Leal is a Mexican American food industry veteran who was the chief marketing officer at Cholula, and executive vice president of marketing at KIND Snacks, where he first connected with SOMOS cofounders Daniel Lubetzky and Rodrigo Zuloaga. He also held roles at Danone, Diamond Foods, and PepsiCo. Born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, Lean moved to the US to earn his MBA from the Wharton School at UPenn.
His newest project is bringing together Latino founders in the food and beverage industry, hosting the first meeting in New York City in November 2023 and then Los Angeles in March 2024—more than seventy founders attended.
“Being a founder can be a lonely journey,” he says. “It makes me happy to make these connections and help Latinos and Latinas find success.”
How does your Latino heritage influence you as a leader?
I was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico and came from a family of entrepreneurs and had the privilege of watching my grandfathers build their own businesses while I was growing up. One of my grandfathers had a business manufacturing auto parts, everything from car batteries for different auto manufacturers to producing tires for forklifts. Because I grew up in Northern Mexico close to the border, I was bilingual and my grandfather would bring me to the factory to help translate with partners when installing equipment.
Because entrepreneurship was something I was exposed to from a young age, it was always something I considered for myself and watching my grandfathers lead businesses impacted how I lead today.
One thing I think about with my Latino heritage is that in our culture, it’s not positively thought of when you speak proudly about yourself. Sometimes however, the job of a founder is to keep everyone energized—sharing successes of your team amongst each other and with retailers and investors—this isn’t always easy for Mexican founders and is something I have to push myself to do.
Additionally, I wish I had known from the start of this journey that I have a story to tell—that I shouldn’t be guarding it too careful because sharing it is one of our greatest assets. It not only helps us differentiate ourselves as a brand but will inspire other Latino leaders looking to build their businesses.
Outside of work, what are you passionate about and why?
I am a founding board member of Naturally New York, a nonprofit with the mission to accelerate conscious business practices in natural, organic, and sustainable products. I am very passionate about helping young entrepreneurs and mentoring members of the Target and PepsiCo accelerator programs.
The Alumni Society’s theme of this year is Leadership for a Changing World. What does it mean to you to lead in a changing world?
Leading in a changing world means never getting too stuck in your ways—what worked yesterday, might not work today and is unlikely to work tomorrow. My cofounder Daniel Lubetzky talks about this as the playbook versus toolkit approach—he explains that rather than relying on what we think might be tried-and-true tips and tricks (which just because they worked for you or someone else once, doesn’t mean they’ll work agai), we should focus on developing toolkits, such as the values that inform our company culture. At SOMOS, these values include results-oriented, agility, ownership, collaboration, inclusivity, and fun. While we can all get caught up in the day-to-day of the business, I always am doing my best to implement these values into how I lead each day.
What major changes have you observed in your industry over the past year?
There is a growing emphasis on sustainable packaging and reducing plastic waste, leading to innovations in biodegradable and compostable packaging. Many companies are committing to more sustainable practices to reduce their environmental footprint.
Additionally, more consumers are adopting a flexitarian diet, reducing meat consumption without eliminating it entirely. This is driven by health, environmental, and ethical reasons.
What are you doing to ensure you remain a nimble and adaptable leader during these changing times?
The most important thing I do to remain a nimble and adaptable leader is to make sure I never stop learning—about my industry, about Mexican cuisine and culture, and about all the facets of my business, from accounting to marketing to supply chain management—and that I’m always listening—to my colleagues, to our retail partners and to our suppliers. When the only constant is change, I always have to have my finger on the pulse in order to stay nimble and adaptable.
