Luz Food Ideas for Easy Gift Giving

snacks easy for gift giving

It’s the holiday season and despite the global pandemic that endures, in-person parties are back on the calendar. So what do you take to the party that isn’t a lame store-bought pie or lame bag of chips? (no offense to the pie and bags of chips givers) These food gift-giving ideas are great for parties and stocking-stuffers alike.


And since supporting Latinx businesses is our thing, especially during the holidays, this easy gift-giving guide features Latinx-owned food brands that will impress the receiver of the gift and score you some holiday karma points at the same time.

Nemi Snacks

No one is doing it like Nemi snacks. Before finding out about their existence it never occurred to us to consider mixing these flavors, but we’re happy to report that every single snack bag is a powerful combination. They’re the very first Mexican-inspired nopales crunchy sticks AND they’re vegan. It gets better; with combinations such as chile-turmeric, you’re sure to make someone happy.

Snack Food - Nemi Cactus Sticks

Loisa

This gift is great for a family or that person that you know who loves to cook. With this one, whoever’s receiving it will be making meals full of sabor for much longer than the holiday season. Founded by culinary enthusiasts who wanted to provide Latin pantry staples that feed tradition, Loisa sells a variety of spices to make any Latin dish pop. Our pic? The Flavor Trio combo, because if you have adobo, sofrito, and sazón in your life, everything will be alright.

Snack Food - Spices

Siete Sea-Salt Chips

If you read our previous gift guide, you know that our very own director of operations is obesssed with these. We trust him, of course, and it turns out he wasn’t lying when he said you won’t be able to put the bag down once you’ve tried just one. Not only are they ridiculously good but they’re also grain-free. Veronica Garza and her family founded this company with their customer’s health in mind. So yes, it makes the perfect gift, or the perfect snack to bring to that holiday party. And now that this brand is growing with even more distribution, you can easily find them in many grocery store aisles.

Bag of Chips by Siete

The Pinole Project

We’re long-timefans of the Pinole Project over here. It doesn’t get any better than a family recipe passed on through generations to create a super-food that is sustainably grown in Oaxaca. Their Pinole-Chia Oatmeal is the perfect gift for anyone, but especially those that are breakfast enthusiasts.

Bag of Pinole Project Chia Oatmeal

Progeny Coffee

Okay, we know coffee isn’t food but it’s turned into a drink, so cafecito for sure deserves a spot on this guide. Progeny coffee has an exciting array of flavors to choose from, but what makes them even cooler is that they are innovating the coffee supply-chain by ensuring farmers work in quality conditions and make fair profits. You’ll find a selection on their website, but we have to shout out their Alegria bag which has aromas of milk chocolate, caramel, and pear. Who wouldn’t appreciate this gift that does right by everyone from the beginning to end.

Bag of Progeny Coffee Whole Beans

Salsaology

Sure, all salsas are great but I think we can all agree that homemade salsas and sauces are the best. Which is why we’re going crazy over Salsaology, a line of cooking sauces inspired by the regional flavors and ingredients of Mexico, made of all natural ingredients and made with care right in their kitchen! Yum! Their one pot simmer sauce gift set is bound to make your secret santa super happy 😉

Gift box, bottles of salsa, ornaments

And there you have it. Easy and delicious gift giving done right. What Latino food items are you getting for the holidays? Tweet us @luzcollective.

a woman giving the side eye to a man

Have you ever met someone who seems overly confident, self-centered, or even downright rude? Maybe they constantly talk about themselves, disregard your feelings, or even manipulate situations to their advantage. And, if you're anything like us and countless other Latinas, you might've thought, is this person just a purebred a**hole, or are they a narcissist?

Keep ReadingShow less
woman surrounded by colorful illustrations
Image by Sayuri Jimenez.

Nathalie Molina Niño has never been one to shy away from breaking barriers, and now, she’s focusing her attention on a new mission: demystifying corporate boardrooms for women, especially Latinas. Molina Niño is the President of Known, an asset management and financial services firm, a veteran tech entrepreneur and builder capitalist, and a board member at the iconic lingerie Brand, Hanky Panky, and others.

Like many corporate boards, Hanky Panky hadn’t publicly disclosed its board composition until recently. After the brand survived the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Molina Niño decided it was time for more women, specifically more Latinas, to know what it means to be on corporate boards.

Coincidentally, the decision to finally be more vocal about this topic aligned with the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, which served as the perfect kick-off to the work.

"Something that rarely gets talked about and I think almost gets kept opaque by design is boards,” she explains in a recent Instagram announcement. “[This Latinx Heritage Month], that’s what I’ll be talking about.” Her goal? To equip more Latinas with the knowledge they need to navigate onto for-profit boards, where they can thrive and build multi-generational wealth.

For-profit corporate boards often feel like an exclusive club. And in many ways, they are, especially for Latinas, who hold the smallest percentage of board seats in Fortune 500 companies compared to other racial groups. According to the latest report from Latino Board Monitor, while Latinos hold 4.1% of these board seats (compared to 82.5% held by white people), only 1% go to Latinas. Molina Niño, a first-generation American of Ecuadorian and Colombian descent, is part of this boardroom minority.

When asked about her experience as a Latina board member during a recent Zoom interview, she said, “It’s been lonely. There’s not a lot of Latinas on boards.” She went on to explain that even serving on boards of Latina-founded businesses gets lonely because, “A lot of the times, people who serve on their boards represent their investors and, as a result, [...] you still don’t see a lot of Latinas on those boards.”

This lack of representation drives Molina Niño’s determination to increase Latina presence in corporate boardrooms. By sharing her insights, she hopes to give Latinas a roadmap to claim their seats at the table. “If you don’t know where to go, it’s impossible to figure out how to get there,” she says.

The Road to the Boardroom

Getting onto a for-profit corporate board isn’t an overnight achievement, but it’s not an unattainable dream either. People often think you need to be a CEO or have a certain type of background, but that’s one of the biggest myths about boards in Molina Niño’s experience. What they’re really looking for is expertise — whether that’s in finance, marketing, sustainability, or even technology. If you have that expertise, you’re already an asset. It’s simply a matter of which road you should take.

Understanding what boards are and how they operate is key to unlocking opportunities. For-profit boards serve as the governing body for companies, overseeing direction and financial stability, and guiding CEOs and executives in decision-making. But Molina Niño emphasizes that not all for-profit boards are created equal.

“There are two kinds [of for-profit boards] [...]. There’s the publicly traded business board and then, on the privately held side, there are, I would argue, two types of boards [...] the traditional business board and the venture-backed business board,” explains Molina Niño. Traditional businesses are often family-owned or long-established and may only form boards to meet requirements, like securing financing or transitioning through an ESOP. Venture-backed boards, on the other hand, are typically filled by investors who hold major stakes in the company.

According to Molina Niño, understanding the difference between them is how you can create a successful strategy. With publicly traded business boards, the whole world is privy to them, so, “The way that you get in there is a little bit more transparent. Sometimes those publicly traded companies will hire a recruiter to help them find new board members,” explains Molina Niño. For private companies, on the other hand, there’s no legal requirement to make announcements. As a result, most people don’t know anything about them or their inner workings.

“Usually what happens in traditional businesses that don’t have venture-capital investments is that the Founders, Executives, or the board members, if one existed already, they usually go to their friends,” and people they deem experienced to fill board seats. In other words, it’s the founder’s decision, and that’s an entirely different approach than hiring recruiters. When it comes to venture-backed business boards, the seats on the board are filled by whichever investor writes the biggest check.

This is why an understanding of the different types of boards and acknowledgment of their own strengths is what will help Latinas define a sound strategy. Whether that’s working with a recruiter, networking and connecting with founders to build trust, or making the biggest investment.

The Path for Latinas

For Molina Niño, the key to getting more Latinas into corporate boardrooms is education. Knowing what a board looks like and how it functions is how you can position yourself to get on it. In openly talking about this, without the mystique it’s usually shrouded in, Molina Niño is providing women, especially Latinas, with invaluable insights. “If we had Latinas understanding what are the three types of for-profit boards I think that, on their own, they would be able to figure out what their best chance is and adjust their careers to make themselves more competitive,” states Molina Niño.

When asked about the impact of increased Latina representation in boardrooms, Molina Niño flips the narrative. “Boards don’t help Latinas by offering them seats; Latinas help businesses thrive by being on their boards,” she says. “The whole point of sitting on a board is that you have experience and expertise, and as Latinas, you also have some cultural experience that everyone wants. [...] At the end of the day, we [Latinas] have to realize that we have a ton to offer and we have to be selective about where we put that expertise,” she explains.

As demand for access to the Latina consumer rises, Molina Niño predicts that more Latinas will find themselves recruited into boardrooms. But she’s not content to sit back and wait for that moment. By openly sharing her journey and insights, she’s making sure other Latinas know their worth and have the tools to claim their place at the table. “I realized that quietly being on boards that helped me personally is not helping other Latinas. [...] I was lucky enough to have friends who could advise me and share their experiences, so that’s why I’m doing this,” she stated.

With Hispanic Heritage Month as the backdrop, Nathalie Molina Niño’s mission is clear: “My goal is just to give Latinas enough information so they can make a plan for how to eventually get on a board that they’re paid to be on and that will eventually help them build generational wealth.”

flags of latin american countries fly behind performers wearing culturally traditional clothing

Ever noticed how September in Latin America is just one big celebration? As we wave goodbye to summer and avoid winter as long as we can, the streets come alive with parades, music, and festivities. Many Latin American countries celebrate their freedom this month, commemorating their hard-fought battles for independence from colonial domination. Let’s dive into these significant days and understand what makes each unique.

Keep ReadingShow less