A few weeks ago, I was invited by the Austin Food Bloggers Alliance out to Lantana foods for a happy hour gathering. There were several brands there showing off some of their new products. It was a very enjoyable evening and I blogged about it here. There was one company in particular that I really clicked with – Siete Foods. I let them know that I really loved their company’s message and that I wanted to feature them separately on the blog. They agreed to send me two boxes full of goodies, which I cannot what to talk about.
My favorite thing about this company is their origin story. They were founded out of family support! I can’t say it better, so here’s the excerpt they put on all their chips and tortilla packages (along with family photos):
A few years ago, all seven (siete) members of the Garza family began exercising together and adopted a low-inflammation, grain-free diet to support Veronica, their sister and daughter, who was diagnosed with multiple autoimmune conditions.
Going grain-free meant that this third-generation Mexican-American family from South Texas could no longer eat many of their favorite foods, so Veronica began to create grain-free dishes her whole family could enjoy.
When Grandma Campos said that Veronica’s first creation, a grain-free almond flower tortilla, tasted better than her own homemade flour tortillas, the family realized they had something special. With their grandma’s stamp of approval, Siete was born.
Siete makes a great first impression. I love their packaging! The boxes are brightly colored, the freezer packaging has their logo impressed on it, and the box flaps even have poetry! There’s a Siete limerick, rap, free verse, and haiku. The bright colors and patterns extend to their chip and tortilla bags as well. I can definitely tell intense thought goes into their packaging and I really enjoy it.
Siete sent me three types of tortilla chips: lime, sea salt, and nacho. They also sent three types of tortillas: cassava flour, almond flour, and cassava flour with chia seeds. Cassava is a kind of root vegetable, common in many parts of the world, including Latin America, Africa, and Asia (in case you’re like me and didn’t know).
Siete’s products are “free” of a lot of things. For example, I’m looking at the sea salt tortilla chips right now and they’re “Grain free & gluten free, paleo & vegan friendly, made with avocado oil, dairy free & soy free, no corn, wheat, or rice.” I know what you’re thinking – those chips must taste disgusting.
Well, YOU THOUGHT WRONG. These chips are made with cassava flour, avocado oil, coconut flour, ground chia seed, and sea salt and are ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. I’ve eaten an entire bag by myself already because I was taking them in little snack baggies in my lunch. I wasn’t even dipping them in anything! Just eating them like you would regular potato chips. Brian’s only complaint was they were “too thin,” but that didn’t bother me at all.
The tortillas were also good, once I figured out how to heat them up correctly. They don’t really bubble up like other tortillas, so the first few I left on the griddle way too long and they got stiff. If I’d read the instructions that are clearly written on the packaging, I’d know to only heat them up for about 10 seconds a side. That’s not long at all! But once I did that, the tortillas stayed nice and soft the whole time I was eating them.
I tried all three tortillas and my favorite by far were the cassava flour ones. They were super soft, a little chewy, and had a good, tortilla flavor.
Here’s the final thing I have to say – if I had a restricted diet, I would be SO thankful for Siete. They have created a product that meets a wide variety of dietary needs and ACTUALLY tastes good. It’s not like… well, this is ok… I guess. I will buy Siete tortilla chips from now on because I like them! If you’re thinking about going gluten / grain-free and want to start eliminating those ingredients from your diet, start with chips and tortillas, because you can pretty easily and happily sub in Siete.
Thanks again, Siete, for sending me two boxes of chips and tortillas. I cannot wait until your hot sauces hit the market!
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