Meet Tatiana Quintero Garcia

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tatiana Quintero Garcia.

Hi Tatiana, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
When I was little, my mom made empanadas on Sundays to generate money, and she told me, “if you want to earn money, help me sell the empanadas around the neighborhood,” and that’s how I earned my Sunday. I began to grow and knew that if I wanted money, I had to work for it, and I liked that. At 23, I graduated as a commercial engineer in my country. Still, I could not find a good job, so my sister and her ex-husband invited me to live in Guadalajara, Mexico, and work there because her husband at that time liked my professional career. When I was there, I saw the deficiency of not having Colombian food, and one day I made empanadas and took them to my friends from work. Well, they loved them. Everyone told me to sell them empanadas since I made them too delicious. I started selling them, and my sister was interested in the business, so she started working with me. We started making arepas and selling them frozen through the Facebook market to everyone in Guadalajara. At the time, I met my current ex-husband in NYC on a summer vacation. We fell in love and got married in a year.

I didn’t know any English when I arrived in the United States (well, now I defend myself). This frustrated me because I couldn’t work, not even in my career, not at all, since I needed English to work. Well, I thought and said I’m going to make empanadas, which is what that sells the most. I started making empanadas in all the cities where I lived, I packed them in zip lock bags, and that’s how I delivered them. I only made ground beef, which is my FAVORITE IN ITSELF, and I sold them to my friends in the building and the English school friends, who love them!!! In the end. I arrived in Phoenix and continued working in warehouses with my empanadas from home, but I never left my dream behind. When we divorced, my ex-mother-in-law gave me the machine with which I make my empanadas because she didn’t like that I worked so much and so hard (she’s a sweetheart), so we found out, and they sell this machine in Colombia, we bought it, and she helped me to drive to do the LLC and everything. I went to look for help in a local force that they are a company that helps small businesses to start when. They helped me to be here where I am. Ohh, well, also that I want to have 50 flavors of empanadas. And be able to distribute them in all supermarkets in the United States and put cafeterias where you can get to eat some good empanadas with a Colombian coffee that is our tradition in Colombia.

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?
I have had too many problems, starting with the fact that I did not speak any English. And being able to set up an LLC company, bank accounts, permits with Maricopa County, tax, etc., especially when most of the requirements need to be done in English and most of the representatives weren’t bilingual.

To raise money. I didn’t have any equipment to start manufacturing my product. I started working in a warehouse 40 hours per week to be able to save and start buying the right equipment for my company. While producing and selling empanadas in minor quantities to save more money, I did this process for about 3 years, dedicating closing to 110 hours for both my job and my company.

I still lack the packaging, the labels, etc., but I am already working on that. It is difficult to find companies that sell the right packages or bags for frozen products and labels that can support the low temperatures where my product needs to be stored.

This year I was trying to open a cafe, but I was unable. I had too many problems trying to get the required permits and setup, and I kept having setbacks costing me a lot of money, so I decided to postpone that plan for another year. But I’m going to set up a Colombian cafe. I’m going to sell coffee and empanadas of all flavors.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a Commercial Engineer, but I found love and passion in the kitchen. Now I dedicate myself to making and designing Colombian empanadas, mixing other cultural flavors. I differentiate myself from other companies because my empanadas combine flavors from other cultures, such as Colombian, Mexican, and American. I am already researching different cultures and flavors to create new combinations. I am proud to be able to reinvent a product and make it a little more multicultural by designing sauces that go in perfect combination with empanadas.

What was you like growing up?
When I was little, I was too shy and fearful. I left what I was interested in easy because of the fear of losing. I have always been punctual, a characteristic my maternal grandmother taught me. I have been happy and smiling. Every quality I have comes from my family and school. I was always dedicated, responsible, and dependable in all my tasks from school to college, and I currently do my best to apply those bases I grew up with to my personal life and business.

Pricing:

• $13
• $15
• $10
• $26
• $29

Contact Info:

• Website: www.empanadaempireaz.com
• Instagram: empanadaempireaz
• Facebook: empanadaempireaz