Welcome to the Startup CPG podcast. I'm your host, Jennifer Yuppes Blundel.

Nopales, or cactus in English. It's one of the oldest plants in Mexico. It's been said that Nopales was grown and eaten in central Mexico before the Spanish even arrived.

Today, the vegetable is still widely eaten throughout Mexico and the United States. It's been called the plant of the future

due to its drought-resistant qualities, needing little water to survive, plus it's packed with fiber

and antioxidants. And human rights attorney Regina Trio is doubling down on Opales in a big way.

She's combined her passion for health, transparency, and a love of chips to create NEMIs,

a crunchy, nutrient-dense snack inspired by Mexican flavors. Listen in as she shares how she's

building a sustainable, better for you snack brand.

Hi, Regina. How are you?

Hi, Jennifer. I'm doing fine. How are you?

Great. Thank you so much for being here today.

Oh, no. Thank you. I am a loyal follower of startup CPG, and I always learn and I appreciate everything that you do and all the resources shared with the CPG community.

So thank you for sharing this space with me. What brought resources shared with the CPG community. So thank you for sharing

this space with me. What brought you to the startup CPG community? Well, basically not knowing

much about the CPG business and just reaching out to get resources and meet people and make

friends. And I launched the company two years ago and And it's been an amazing resource for NEMI

right since the beginning. Yeah, let's start there. Let's start with the origin story of Nimi.

Yes, I would love to talk about that. I grew up in Mexico City. And I moved to Chicago

10 years ago for school. And when I first arrived here, I thought,

if I find a job, I'll stay as long as I can somehow

stay connected with Mexico.

I love food flavors, what food represents in Mexico,

...