How Veronica Garza's Major Health Change Transpired Into an Authentic Food Brand

Welcome to Second Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who've made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content officer at Who What Wear, each episode will give you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and stay tuned.

Now more than ever, protecting our health and fostering overall wellness is of the utmost importance, whether it’s making time for wellness practices that repeatedly fell to the bottom of your to-do list or readjusting your lifestyle habits to encourage a healthier being. Perhaps a silver lining of this pandemic is finding the time and courage to finally make those simple yet significant lifestyle changes that are ultimately for the better. Similarly, Veronica Garza founded her company, renowned healthy, Mexican American brand Siete Foods, by putting her health needs first and discovering she could help others find that same joy through her innovative products. 

Diagnosed with multiple autoimmune disorders as a teenager, Garza adopted a grain-free, low-inflammation diet to combat fatigue symptoms, which ultimately catapulted her into her career in the food world. Garza is now the founder and chief innovation officer at Siete Foods, developing creative heritage-inspired products like salsa, tortillas, and tortilla chips that are grain- and dairy-free, paleo friendly, non-GMO, and vegan and that are made with ingredients like almond flour and avocado oil. Siete Foods has broken the barrier between limited health diets and honoring the Mexican culture. Siete has transformed into a labor of love, as Garza’s entire family has joined her in growing Siete Foods, which has become the number one tortilla brand at Whole Foods Market and can be found in more than 13,000 grocery stores across the U.S.

Though Siete Foods has an authentic story and Garza has worked tirelessly to ensure the brand has maintained its strong identity, Garza actually started the brand with absolutely no background in the food industry. Before embarking on her health journey, Garza received her MBA in digital media management and music and taught a freshman seminar for several years at a Texas local college. There, she found the encouragement and fearlessness to create something new to advocate for healthier lifestyles among Latino families. 

Head to iTunes to subscribe to Second Life, and listen to this brand-new episode to hear all about how Garza is now positively impacting her community and sharing her passion for making real food without jeopardizing her heritage. Keep scrolling to shop some of Siete's best-selling products.