Meet Myriah Castillo of Guacbox AZ in Tempe Base

Today we’d like to introduce you to Myriah Castillo.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My earliest memories were my grandmother cooking and coming from a Mexican-American home, meal time was very important to us. My grandmother passed when I was 5 years old but my love for cooking established by her, never dwindled. As I grew up, I continued to have a passion for food but pursued creative writing as a career. I moved from Arizona to go to school in Pittsburgh and that is where my love for food went from a hobby to a full blown obsession. I worked odd food jobs in college and spent all of my free time trying new restaurants and saturating myself with the different food you could find in the city. When I ultimately decided to move back to Arizona, I had a sort of an awakening that I had to make some lifestyle changes. I had enjoyed food so much that I let my health suffer. So, I got a trainer, lost over 75 pounds and started eating a lot healthier.

I began to find that I could mix my family’s traditional Mexican cuisine with healthier ingredients to make delicious food. I decided to take a risk, quit my “corporate” job and start my own business incorporating food, health, fitness and my heritage. When I started my business, I really wanted a way for people to make small adjustments to their diet to help keep them on a healthy track. Our guacamole is made from the freshest, organic ingredients and makes for a wonderful healthy, nutrient rich addition to any meal and our protein balls help people, specifically vegans and vegetarians, maintain a protein rich diet without snacking on between meals.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I know this is true of a lot of small and large businesses: you fail often! When I started Guacbox, we began as a meal prep service. I was meal prepping for my personal health goals and had discovered a way to cook Mexican food using all natural ingredients, predominately spices and chilies, which lowered the unhealthy fats and carbs most associated with Mexican food. I was working 90 hour weeks on prepping food, I was driving from Apache junction to downtown Phoenix and back to chandler on deliveries, and I wasn’t able to grow my business. I started to do farmers markets as a way to promote the meal prep business and ended up pivoting into just selling products at the farmers markets instead of doing meal prep. It has improved my quality of life and given me the ability to focus on using the best ingredients and having the best products and my business has greatly improved since then. I believe you have to give yourself mental breathing room, meaning time when you aren’t constantly working, in order to come up wth great ideas. I also believe that my ability to fail and try new routes in business is helping me and my business tremendously.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Guacbox AZ – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Guacbox’s main focus is our guacamole. Avocados are known for their amazing health benefits and we want to showcase them by having very simple recipes. Our guacamole is 100% vegan, raw, and organic. We don’t use any artificial ingredients and stick to the fruits, vegetables and a little touch of salt. We use lime as a natural preservative so our guac doesn’t have the chemicals like that at the store. We also have some unusual flavors including Pineapple Cilantro and Mango Tajin along with our Spicy and Original. We also sell protein balls which are gluten free and packed with protein. They’re a great alternative to high sugar protein bars and they come in 50 different flavors which rotate each week. We sell all of these products at 7 different farmers markets across the valley and at special events. I think I’m most proud of the fact that we are a company run and founded by a 25-year-old Mexican woman, that had absolutely no investors or loans whatsoever, that started as a “just do it” sort of moment after a life of dreaming and that is thriving and succeeding.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I think my most credit deserving person would be my boyfriend, Alex Buchanan. He footed the personal bills, dealt with the emotional side of the trials and tribulations I went through with the business, worked booths at the farmers markets, brought things to the kitchen I forgot to bring, took on more projects at home, I could go on. He has been and continues to be amazing. My dad has also been a huge help. He has 25+ years of business experience and has shown me how I could improve in my business and also encouraged me when I was doing well. He’s also really proud of me which makes me feel so incredibly happy. When I first had the idea to start Guacbox, I met the owner of Squarz Pies, Steven and he gave me the most informative hour of my life, outlining everything I would need to know about starting this thing. It was scary but definitely gave me a huge advantage in starting the business. My best friend and now employee, Kaileen, has been a source of ideas, a venting sound board, an avocado sheller, a person I could come to at 2am and she’d be ready to help. Also, my best friend Aubrey, who was in Ohio starting her own business before I ever was, with a newborn, might I add. She helps me all the time because she more than likely has had to deal with the problem before me. Also, my mom has helped me so much with just being a proud parent and being willing to help whenever she can. I have the best support of friends at the farmers markets as well, including the market directors. Everyone has become family and I couldn’t do it without them.

Pricing:

• Guac: $7
• Protein balls: $5

Contact Info:

• Website: Guacboxaz.com
• Phone: 480-254-0062
• Email: myriah@guacboxaz.com
• Instagram: Guacboxaz
• Facebook: Facebook.com/guacbox

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