San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Student consultants engineered a comprehensive U.S. market-entry and brand-localization strategy for San Miguel Family Foods, Mexico’s number-one brand and a fourth-generation culinary powerhouse with over 60 years of heritage and 100 million dollars in sales. Leveraging the company's massive vertically integrated manufacturing infrastructure and private-label experience with giants like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, teams built a tactical framework to launch six premium, high-protein SKUs—specifically their bone-broth enriched rice cups and ready-to-eat tamales. The launch prioritizes high-impact grocery, natural, and convenience store channels across California and Texas to capture the booming U.S. demand for healthy, organic, and convenient options made without seed oils.
The resulting deliverables provide a clear roadmap to successfully transition the company from an established co-packer into a recognized independent label. The strategy outlines an authentic, founder-led brand narrative paired with a U.S.-compliant packaging claims hierarchy that highlights key certifications like USDA Organic and Non-GMO. To secure retail shelf placement and build consumer velocity, the plan implements aggressive trade promotions, in-store sampling initiatives, and hyper-targeted digital marketing aimed at modern food explorers. Backed by defined channel KPIs and risk mitigation tactics, our consultants delivered a scalable blueprint for San Miguel Family Foods to confidently build its own brand presence across the American market.
As Project Lead for the San Miguel Family Foods engagement, I had the opportunity to touch every facet of the project, from consumer insights and retailer research to the distributor strategy that anchored our final recommendations. Getting to understand San Miguel's business so deeply, including a tour of their operations in Mexico, gave me a real appreciation for what this fourth-generation company has built. Traveling to San Miguel de Allende and Mexico City was the perfect way to end the year. The beauty of San Miguel de Allende, a Lucha Libre match, and Teotihuacan made for an unforgettable few days. Hearing directly from the client that they were moving forward with our recommendations made the months of work feel tangible in a way that is hard to replicate in a classroom.
- Brandon Maitre
I've been involved in SIBC since my freshman year at USD, but I can confidently say that this year's project was by far my favorite. Being part of the San Miguel Family Food group and getting to develop their US market entry plan felt like the perfect finality to my time at USD. I got to apply all the skills and knowledge that Knauss has given me in my time here. In addition, knowing that behind this project lay a real company, not an assignment crafted for a classroom, made everything that much more meaningful. It was no longer just about fulfilling a course requirement, but proving that what I learned at USD was truly impactful. This project proved that it was. Seeing our project slowly evolve from brainstorming around a table to a fully fleshed out slide-deck backed by hours of research and planning was so incredibly satisfying— even more so when we got to see the client's reaction when we presented it. I was honored to know our work regarding consumer behavior, retail requirements, and distributor research perfectly aligned with the goals of San Miguel Family Foods. My project experience didn't end here though. From a group of eleven highly qualified students, I was so thankful to have been selected to be one of the four who got to travel to Mexico to actually see the factory behind San Miguel Family Foods. It was such a surreal experience seeing our semester long project come to life. Our tour through the factory in San Miguel de Allende was just a small portion of this unforgettable trip. Getting the opportunity to fully immerse into Mexico's culture for a weekend with my peers is a memory from USD that I will cherish always as I move forward into my professional life. It was on this trip that I fully got to see where my major would hopefully one day lead me: not just to do business internationally but allowing myself to experience global cultures and environments through business. It was a reminder of why I chose to study international business in the first place.
-Mariana Gomez
This project was an amazing real world experience where we got to work with young business professionals who were students in Knauss. The opportunity to communicate with them on what they wanted from the deliverable and being able to execute was extremely valuable as I look to enter the professional world. Furthermore, the chance to work with a large team and deal with project management was also extremely enlightening. The chance to travel and tour the company's facilities and see how their product is made and their business functions made this entire project one of the best educational experiences I could ask for.
-Zach LHeureux