Hector García, Proudly Featured in Hispanic Network Magazine

Hector García: First-Generation Small Business Owner

Hector García is the president of MBN Creative Inc., a Hispanic-owned company located in Anaheim, California. His company has been in business for almost 15 years and specializes in branding and design of consumer packaged goods. The majority of his business focuses on food and beverages, in addition to cosmetics, healthcare, office supplies and a variety of other areas. MBN Creative employs eight people, five of whom are minorities, according to García.

García was the first in his family to venture into business.
"This endeavor was like blazing a trail without having anyone to follow or guide me. I grew up in a rough part of Los Angeles and narrowly escaped being a statistic of the ghetto," he explained. "It humbles me greatly when I see where I came from and reflect on how truly blessed I am."

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"At the foundation of our values is trust–
that resonates with every team member,
client and vendor."         – Hector García

MBN Creative Featured in Orange County Register

MBN Creative and El Pollo Loco team up to release the famous Pollo Bowl® into supermarkets.

After years of avoiding entry into the supermarket arena – where profit margins are razor thin – El Pollo Loco is spreading its wings into retail.

The Costa Mesa-based chicken chain has created a frozen version of  its Pollo Bowl, which is now being sold in roughly 100 Costco warehouses   in Southern California. It is also stocked in 600 supermarkets,  including Ralphs, Food 4 Less and Smart & Final.

“We see a real opportunity because there’s no real high quality  Mexican brand in the frozen food sector, said Joe Stein, El Pollo  Loco’s senior vice president of strategy and innovation.

The move comes as El Pollo Loco looks for new ways to make money and increase brand awareness. Earlier this month, the chain launched steak – one of several new foods El Pollo Loco plans to add to its menu this year.

Stein said El Pollo Loco has spent two years investigating how to bring the right product to market.

It had to be something portable and easy to recreate, he added.

The chain eventually came up with a frozen version of its Pollo Bowl and pitched the idea to Costco. The chain tested it in San Diego  warehouses last fall and found that it sold well.

Over the holidays, the product expanded to 100 warehouses in Southern   California, including Orange County. The Costco item is sold for $13.99  and includes six, 16 oz. Pollo Bowls.  The bowls sold in supermarkets  are different in size and ingredients.

The grocery stores sell a 4-pack of 12-oz. bowls, that contain the  exact same ingredients sold at the restaurants. Cost: $8.99-$9.99,  depending on the store.

The Costco bowls offer cheese, which is not a regular topping on  bowls served at restaurants. Stein said Costco insisted on adding cheese   because the warehouse chain thought the bowls would sell better.

Research shows that El Pollo Loco is entering the frozen food sector at the right time. With consumers  cutting back on dining, more are  turning to convenient frozen items to eat at home or at the office,  according to market research firm Packaged Facts.

Local restaurant chains that have entered the frozen food market over the past few years include Newport Beach-based Ruby’s Diner, Irvine-based Yard House and Cypress-based Real Mex Restaurants. The latter is the parent company of El Torito, El Torito Grill, Acapulco and Chevys restaurants.

For years, Marie Callender’s has also offered a large line of foods  in supermarkets. Over a five-year period between 2008 and 2013, frozen  food sales are forecast to grow 25 percent to $64.8 billion, Packaged  Facts said in a 2009 report. El Pollo Loco is taking advantage of that demand.

Stein said the bowls, so far, are exceeding expectations with more  than $4 million in sales. The chain is working with other grocery  chains, and it expects the bowls to be in 1,000 stores relatively soon.

As for new retail products, Stein said he’s looking at the  possibility of bottling and selling the chain’s avocado salsa and creamy   cilantro dressing.  The chain is also investigating the possibility of   selling pre-marinated chicken for barbecuing and or selling the  company’s famous citrus-marinade separately.

“If we do it right, this could generate profits in the multi-million dollar (range) in the next two years.”

Hector García Hits the Airwaves!

MBN Creative’s President, Hector Garcia, was “pleasantly ambushed” for a surprise radio interview on March 23rd. Michelle Patterson from Event Complete and Paul Roberts from OC Talk Radio speak with Hector about the creative design process, how his team takes an idea and develops it to a finished product. During the show they take a look at how MBN Creative has partnered with national companies in developing successful branding solutions for household names such as City of Hope, El Pollo Loco, El Torito, Golden Spoon and Hi-Liter to name a few.

MBN will be partnering up with CEO Michelle Patterson from Event Complete, who has been the visionary and creator behind the multitude of successful events and national workshops.  Michelle Patterson was congratulated by CEO Andrew Mason of Groupon on Event Complete’s all time Groupon record for their Capturing True Emotion workshop.

“We want to give a special Thank You to Michelle Patterson and Event Complete for putting together this radio interview.  We expect fruitful outcomes with the partnership between MBN and Event Complete.” -Hector Garcia

Listen to the interview here!

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