Despite facing many unexpected challenges during the pandemic, Gaviria managed to increase Masienda's sales by expanding its e-commerce model.
When Jorge Gaviria learned of this while working in the restaurant industry, he set out on a quest in search of flavor and a holistic connection to corn in 2014. He ended up finding both in Oaxaca, Mexico, where he met farmers whose families had been growing maize for generations. From there he established a masa supply chain and launched his company, which is based in Los Angeles, CA.
"The farmers we work with have been practicing regenerative agriculture for thousands of years before it became a buzzword," Gaviria said."And it's not just the farmers that we're supporting directly through the purchase of corn," he said."There's also a whole cottage industry emerging in the community."At the start of 2020, the Masienda team was excited about expanding and opening a new service for restaurants.
"If we didn't have a partnership with Capital One and we weren't using the Spark Cash Plus card, everything we've been able to do for our business would have been a lot more difficult," Gaviria said."Thanks to using the card, we had a lot more flexibility in how we were able to alter our spending."