Mexico Chiquito | Application Preview
Mexico Chiquito is seeking government grants to support the development and distribution of its cheese dip and fruit punch. The funding will be used to establish a facility, acquire equipment, and potentially hire employees, as the current restaurant is too small to handle expanded production.
The business plan involves distributing products to grocery stores in central and northwest Arkansas and selling online. With a strong local presence since 1935, Mexico Chiquito has cultivated a loyal customer base, and the founders believe there is significant demand for their products, which are currently not widely available in the state. The marketing strategy includes leveraging the brand's historic significance as the inventor of cheese dip to tap into online sales, particularly through platforms like Amazon.
The application highlights the company’s established credibility and recognition, which can contribute to successful distribution efforts. Promotional strategies will involve co-op advertising to guide customers to retailers carrying their products, ensuring increased visibility as distribution expands.
Competition is noted with Pancho's queso, which has transitioned from a restaurant to a retail brand, and Corky’s Barbecue, which sells a similar product through Sam’s Club. Despite this, Mexico Chiquito’s competitive edge lies in its operational restaurant and strong legacy of over 80 years, along with a unique story that resonates with both local and former residents. Requests for the cheese dip from outside the state showcase the potential for growth in online sales.
The passionate consumer interest in the product is evidenced by numerous attempts to recreate the cheese dip recipe, highlighting its desirability and further supporting the case for funding approval.
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General Information
Business Registration Number: 71-0513119
Location: Little Rock, AR, United States
Length of Operation: 86 years continuous
Number of Employees:
Annual Gross Income:
Annual Gross Expense:
Open to Loans: YES
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Funding Usage
We are in the process of developing our cheese dip and fruit punch for grocery store and online distribution. As our restaurant is tiny we will need a facility, equipment and eventually employees. We are exploring options to facilitate this. They include utilizing a commercial co-op kitchen or adding a new additional restaurant location with enough room to run the operation and our catering.
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Business Plan
We plan to build distribution with grocery stores in central and northwest Arkansas and sell our products online. Being a fixture in central Arkansas since 1935 has created a great relationship with Arkansan’s and our cheese dip and fruit punch are legendary. We believe there is a built in market in Arkansas for our product as it is not readily available to many in the state. We also believe that with proper marketing we can build a following outside of the state based primarily on the fact that we are the inventor of cheese dip. There are a variety of ways to build such an audience online but we are primarily looking in to Amazon marketplace to begin. We have a long history of success and recognition in Arkansas. Having run a restaurant continuously since 1935 in central Arkansas gives us instant recognition and credibility with grocery store shoppers in the state. Once launched we will support distribution with (hopefully co-op) advertising telling folks where to find us. As our distribution base grows so will the promotion. We will utilize the proper marketing work to generate online business which gives us the potential to grow exponentially.
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Self Identified Competition
Pancho’s queso. This company started as a Tex mex restaurant in 1970-80s and is based in Memphis Tennessee. Several years ago they completely got out of the restaurant business and transitioned to selling cheese dip and salsa retail. They are our primary competitor. They distribute throughout the mid south through relationships with many vendors including Kroger and Walmart. They sell online also but I don’t know much about that. Corky’s Barbecue this restaurant chain is selling their white queso through Sam’s club. Any number of no name recognized suppliers. All stores sell some type of queso product whether it is canned on a shelf or requires cold storage like our product will. These products have virtually no name recognition but are successful for lack of a recognized brand in the market. We still operate a physical restaurant where we make our product every day. We are also exploring similarly marketing our fruit punch in the same fashion. Our product has over 80 years name recognition in Arkansas. That combined with our unique story will be a launching pad to to other areas via online sales. Many former Arkansans would love a way to get our product overnighted to them. We know this because we often field these types of requests now with no advertising. Our restaurant was the inventor of cheese dip in 1935. This lends instant credibility with the general public and if marketed correctly can put us on the road to a lot of success. People are passionate about our cheese dip! Google “Mexico Chiquito cheese dip recipe” and see all the imitations people have tried to create to make it because it isn’t available to them. None of them are correct, which provides a great indication that this is a product they would like access to.
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