Family Expands Mexican Candy Business through LiftFund

Jose Antonio realized that Dallas was ready for local dulce— a traditional Mexican candy— when he opened Azteca Mexican Candy with his family in 2007.   

His son, Edinson, was working another job when Azteca opened, but they collaborated to make the company a popular place with Dallas locals. Customer demands soon surpassed the local distribution supply, so they decided to expand the company by making the dulce in-house. 

The father-and-son team took multiple trips to Mexico to learn how to make and perfect the sweets but they needed professional equipment to meet customer demand.

They approached traditional banks for help, but they were unable to secure the working capital. In 2010, Edinson found LiftFund, where he was approved for the $45,000 loan they needed. Four years later, he returned for additional funds to purchase equipment and expand the business.

“LiftFund helped us when nobody else would, [they] gave us the opportunity to succeed, and allowed us to get equipment that we still use today,” he said. 

Thanks to his successful lending history with LiftFund, Edinson was recently approved for a business loan with a local bank, which he hopes will allow for bigger growth for the company.   In 2017, Azteca sold over 1 million candy units, and the company is projected to pass that milestone in 2018. Today, Jose serves as Azteca’s president and has expanded the staff to include six other employees— all members of the Arenas family. 

 “Thanks to those [LiftFund] loans” our company is able to bring “people together and take care of them [as employees],” he said. “We are always [moving] toward a better future. At the end of the day, there will always [be difficulties as a small business owner], but we are still here.” 

Ready to make your dream small business a reality? LiftFund can connect you with the free online business toolsfinancial templates, and loans you need to get started.

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