“It was completely insane,” Annie Leal, a McAllen resident, said Thursday, recalling how she felt when she learned her sugar-free chamoy, I Love Chamoy, won the grand prize for H-E-B’s Quest for Texas Best competition.
Leal beat 500 entries from across the state that competed for the grand prize, which includes selling the winning product on H-E-B shelves.
And she did it with an idea that originated from a strong father-daughter bond.
About a year-and-a-half ago, Leal visited her dad who had been diagnosed with diabetes 10 years ago. He changed his lifestyle to live a healthier and longer life with Leal, her sister and mother.
“But my dad has always had a sweet tooth. He always has this cabinet filled with sugar-free treats,” Leal said.
Leal peered into his cabinet. It was filled with sugar-free lollipops, sugar-free caramels, and sugar-free chocolate.
“Any American candy, he had a sugar-free version,” Leal said. But he didn’t have any sugar-free Mexican candy.
“I asked him, ‘Papi, how come you don’t have any sugar-free Mexican candy?’ He said, ‘Mi’ja, I can’t find any.’”
Mexican candy is more than a treat for the family, which originates from Monterrey, Mexico. It’s a connection to their roots.
Twelve years ago the family moved to McAllen, but didn’t feel too far from home.
“What I love so much about McAllen is that it was already a place that celebrated our culture,” Leal said, adding, “it has a lot of influences from our culture, but it also has that Texas hospitality.”
The night following the trip to the cabinet produced little sleep, but it led to Leal’s great idea: a sugar-free chamoy.
Leal had no business experience but forged ahead with a strong support system.
“I was blessed enough to have family and friends and industry mentors who encouraged me,” she said. “I knew we had a story and a mission for the company. All the pieces started coming together as we were building the plane.”
Although the chamoy was created with Leal’s father in mind, it has broader appeal.
“We wanted to make sure that people could enjoy this product whether they’re diabetic, they’re on a keto diet or maybe they’re just looking for something made with healthier ingredients, without artificial dyes that can fit their lifestyle a little bit better but can still remind them of their culture and of home,” Leal said.
The chamoy is sweetened with monk fruit, a sweetener touted as sugar-free, carb-free and calorie-free, and its characteristically red color was obtained by using hibiscus powder instead of the commonly-used artificial and problematic dye Red 40.
“Our chamoy has 40% to 80% less sodium than most chamoys in the market,” Leal said.
As part of the grand prize for H-E-B’s 9th annual Quest for Texas Best competition, Leal’s company was awarded $25,000. She plans to use it to expand her business. I Love Chamoy has a strong social media presence on TikTok and Instagram, but Leal plans to use some of her winnings to build audiences in platforms like Facebook and Pinterest, too.
Currently, she’s already working to expand her offerings.
“I’m happy to tease one of them with you,” Leal said. “We’re working on low-sugar, low-carb, spicy sandia gummies. We’re kind of moving to the candy category, solid candy.”
Other winners included a cookie dough recipe from Lakeway, a spicy harissa recipe from Houston, a barbecue rub from Dallas, and a chile mix from Guthrie. They were awarded sums of $20,000, $15,000 and $10,000, respectively.
“H-E-B has been committed to diverse product offerings and workforce for more than a century,” James Harris, H-E-B’s senior diversity director, said. “As we continue Florence Butt’s legacy of an entrepreneurial spirit, we are thrilled to shine light on these five outstanding businesses and their Texan-made products that will add to the diversity of products on our shelves and to our roster of small, local and diverse suppliers.”
Leal said her company and H-E-B are working on bringing the product to stores statewide in the coming weeks. For now, her product is available online via ilovechamoy.com.
For now, the family is still processing the news.
Leal’s father cried tears of joy to learn of his daughter’s win. “He couldn’t believe that this thing that started as kind of like a love letter to my dad is enjoyed by many people,” Leal said.
