From "mistake" to success: The story of how Bimbo created Takis after not buying Sabritas
Grupo Bimbo , one of the most influential Mexican companies worldwide, has achieved success thanks to its extensive line of products that are distributed in more than 30 countries. Among its most iconic creations is Takis, a snack that has crossed borders and has become a global phenomenon.
However, few people know that the origin of Takis and its success are linked to a series of mistakes that, far from being an obstacle, ended up catapulting Bimbo to success.
The beginning of BarcelRoberto Servitje, CEO of Grupo Bimbo, shared in an interview for Oso Trava's YouTube channel how a series of bad decisions and mistakes were the catalysts for the development of products that are now world-renowned.
Servitje explained how, at the beginning of the company, the opportunity to acquire Sabritas, one of the strongest brands in the Mexican snack market, arose. However, Bimbo decided not to buy it, a decision that was later recognized as a strategic error.
“We didn’t buy Sabritas, it was a mistake. We didn’t have a good manager and we didn’t give it the importance it deserved,” Servitje said in the interview. But far from lamenting this mistake, the Bimbo team focused on looking for new opportunities in the snack market. That’s when Barcel emerged, a small snack company that, at that time, didn’t seem to have a great future.
Barcel's growth: from a mistake to a successBarcel started out as a modest company, without great expectations within the Bimbo conglomerate. However, as time went by and the company began to experiment with new product lines, Barcel began to gain ground.
One of Barcel's first successes was the creation of potato chips, a product that managed to capture the attention of consumers and helped the brand position itself in the snack market in Mexico.
Although Barcel was already beginning to be a medium-sized company within Bimbo, the real success came with the launch of Takis, a product that was born almost by accident and that, unknowingly, was destined to change the course of the company forever.
The origin of the TakisThe success of Takis is undeniable, but its origin is as curious as it is unexpected. According to Roberto Servitje, the name of this snack came from a casual comment by the mother-in-law of his brother, Lorenzo Servitje, one of the founders of Grupo Bimbo.
“Lorenzo joined a small group of new products and they launched Takis. My brother came up with the name because his mother-in-law told him: 'You Mexicans always eat taquis and tortis'. He remembered the name and they decided to call them Takis,” explained Roberto Servitje in the interview.
Thus, what began as a simple reference to the Mexican custom of eating tacos, became the name of a snack that would be synonymous with worldwide success.
Takis are a corn-based snack in the form of a roll or taco, characterized by its spicy flavor and crunchy texture. The product was initially launched as a snack intended for the Mexican market, but quickly gained popularity thanks to its distinctive flavor and attractive format, which differentiated it from other snacks available on the market.
Takis' success was not limited to Mexico. Thanks to Bimbo and Barcel's expansion strategy, Takis began to be distributed in other Latin American countries, the United States, and eventually, in other regions of the world. Today, it is one of the best-selling snacks globally and an indisputable symbol of Mexican culture.
What does Takis mean?Interestingly, the word “Takis” doesn’t only have a meaning related to Mexican food. In other languages, such as Greek and Japanese, this word has very different connotations. In Greek, “taqui” means fast, while “Taki” in Japanese refers to a waterfall. Although these meanings are not directly related to the product, it is interesting to note how such a simple name can resonate across different cultures.
The flavor of Takis, with its characteristic spiciness, has become a symbol of Mexican food and has been enthusiastically welcomed in different parts of the world. Despite its origin in Mexico, Takis has managed to adapt to the tastes of international consumers, who value the intensity of its flavor and the versatility of the snack.
In countries like the United States, Takis have become a popular choice among teenagers and young adults, who enjoy the spiciness and crunchy texture of the snack.
In addition, the brand has managed to position itself as an innovative product in the snack market, with advertising campaigns that reinforce its image as an extreme and daring snack.
Today, Grupo Bimbo is one of the most valuable companies in Mexico, with an estimated value of $2 billion, according to data from Statista. Its ability to learn from mistakes and adapt to circumstances has been key to its success over the years, and Takis is the best example of this.
excelsior
