Today we’d like to introduce you to Jazmin Garcia.
Hi Jazmin, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Our parents always taught us to be proud of our Mexican heritage and culture — and that’s exactly where the name comes from. Cultura isn’t just a word for us, it’s who we are. It’s the flavors we grew up with, the traditions in our homes, and the pride they instilled in us from a young age.
Honestly, our story started like a lot of small businesses during COVID — out of necessity, family, and a little bit of “let’s just try it.”
I grew up eating Mexican candy, so those flavors have always been a part of me. The first time I tried real chamoy rim dip — not the bottled kind — I fell in love with it. Around August 2020, during the pandemic, I was craving chamoy but couldn’t really find it anywhere. So I told myself, “I’m just going to try to make it from scratch.” At the same time, everything felt uncertain and I was looking for ways to bring in extra income for my family.
I made my first batch and gave it to my family for honest feedback — and they loved it. Like real, honest family reviews. On a drive home from Los Angeles, I told my husband I wanted to start selling it. Without hesitation he said he supported me 100% and literally told me, “Do it. We have nothing to lose.” That moment really pushed everything forward for us.
We started with just chamoy. Then we added candy. Then we introduced our michelada mix. Little by little, we kept growing. Now we have over seven chamoy flavors and more than fourteen gummy variations.
Our first pop-up was in Oceanside. We sold out of our trunk and sold two rim dips. It was honestly humbling — but it also made us hungry to prove we belonged in this space. After Oceanside, we started doing pop-ups in Barrio Logan, and that’s really where people started noticing us. That community showed us a lot of love, and we grew a lot there. We kept showing up, even when it was hard, even when we were tired, even when we didn’t know what the next step looked like. We built our customer base slowly and upgraded our setup step by step.
Now we have products in stores, bars, and restaurants all over San Diego County — from Oceanside to Spring Valley and everywhere in between. We even made it into a restaurant in Las Vegas. We’ve shipped chamoy all over the world — Japan, Hawaii, Dubai, England — and that still feels unreal sometimes.
At the root of everything is family. Everything we create is about honoring where we come from while building something of our own here.
We didn’t come from big money, big investors, or big connections — just culture, family, and the willingness to bet on ourselves when nothing was guaranteed. And we’re just getting started.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. It’s honestly been a rollercoaster.
From 2020 to about 2022, we were really on the rise. We grew a lot in those first couple years. Our brand was getting recognized, revenue was strong, and we were able to build up savings. At that point, we thought the next step was opening a brick-and-mortar location. We took a chance on a shop in Old Town, believing it would help us grow even more.
Unfortunately, that didn’t go the way we hoped. We ended up losing all of our savings trying to make it work. It was one of the hardest moments for us — emotionally and financially. When you build something from nothing, losing that safety net hits different.
But that experience forced us to really step back and look at what we were actually best at and where we were strongest. We realized our business thrived in pop-ups, direct community interaction, and being mobile. That’s where people connected with us the most.
So we made the hard decision to close the shop and refocus. We doubled down on pop-ups and started expanding into catering and bartending for private events, parties, and celebrations of all kinds. That pivot honestly helped us rebuild, and it reminded us why we started in the first place.
If anything, that setback made us tougher, smarter, and more focused on building something sustainable instead of just chasing what we thought success was supposed to look like.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Cultura Chamoy ?
At Cultura Chamoy, we make flavors that tell a story — our story, and the story of growing up with Mexican candy and traditions. We specialize in real, authentic chamoy — the kind you don’t get from a bottle — along with candies, michelada mixes, and gummies that pack bold, nostalgic flavors.
What sets us apart is that everything we make comes from our roots and our family recipes. We’re not mass-produced. We’re not a chain. We don’t cut corners. Every batch is handcrafted with care, made to surprise your taste buds — sweet, tangy, spicy, all in one bite.
We’re most proud of how our brand brings people together. It’s not just about selling a product — it’s about creating moments. Whether it’s at a pop-up where people line up for their favorite treats, private events and parties where we get to bring the flavor straight to the celebration, or bars and restaurants that trust us to be part of their menu, we’re connecting people with authentic taste and culture.
What we want readers to know is that Cultura Chamoy isn’t just candy — it’s culture, family, and a little bit of boldness. We started from scratch, hustling through pop-ups, catering gigs, and late nights, building something real from nothing. Every flavor, every gummy, every michelada mix is made with passion, care, and a refusal to settle for ordinary. When you try our products, you’re tasting our roots, our hustle, and our pride — and that’s something no chain can replicate.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to us is family, culture, and staying true to who we are. Everything we do — from the flavors we create to the way we connect with our community — comes from that foundation. Our parents taught us to be proud of our Mexican heritage, and that pride drives every decision we make.
It also matters to us to keep hustling, keep creating, and keep our independence. We’ve learned that building something from nothing isn’t easy, and it’s the challenges and struggles that shape who we are. Seeing our family, our community, and our customers enjoy what we’ve poured our hearts into makes every late night, every setback, and every risk worth it.
At the end of the day, what matters most is leaving something meaningful — something our kids, our family, and our community can be proud of.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://culturachamoyco.etsy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/culturachamoy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/culturarimpaste
Image Credits
https://www.instagram.com/xoxoivonne
