Birria Queen shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Birria , we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Going through pregnancy and being 8 months pregnant has brought me lots of joy outside of work
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello my name is Donelle Mendoza AKA The BIrria Queen. I started my business by introducing the Birria Craze to Austin TX in 2018. Being a single mom with limited resources I started selling Birria from my apartment window, which quickly gained popularity, after a few years of selling Birria many asked for my famous recipe. Me being the entrepreneur that I am, I decided to launch a Birria marinade line to share my recipe with others. Shortly after launching the Birria Queen Marinade line, I was taking my son a bath and noticed his collection of bath bombs and had the idea to turn my liquid marinade into a Bath bomb form! After a month of trying to figure out how to make this idea come to life, Boom! Birria Bombs were born! I posted my creation on Facebook, snapchat, instragram, and tiktok. After a few months of promoting the new addtition to the Birria Queen marinade line, Birria Bombs quickly gained popularity on tiktok with over 7 Million views! A short year later, the Birria Queen Seasoning Bombs line are now in HEB Stores throughout Texas.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was a single mom who was an at home cook that loved to cook and watch others enjoy an authentic mexican meal made with love.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
In any business there are up and downs. I didn’t always have car’s lined down the block waiting for an order of Birria. In those moments, I never thought to give up my Birria Business but, it did lead me to find other sources of income and to think out side of the box. Which lead me and my son to open other side business, we had a hot dog business named, “Cali Antojo’s”, where we would set up a hot dog stand outside of clubs and served Mexican style bacon wrapped hot dogs, we also had another side business selling Chamoy candies.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
“Following trends will make you money”. Not all trends are easily replication and executed in grace. Birria being the topic, many places are now selling birria, but it may not be the best or even authentic or may even be the same exact menu everyone else has. When your opening a business its better to be original instead of following a trend that you think may sell because everyone else is doing it. Customers will notice weather your doing something for trend or if its something your actually passionate about and not just trying to make a quick dollar.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
I would still have all love and my recipes to pass down to my children and grandchildren.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Seasoningbombs.co
- Instagram: LaReynaDeBirria
- Twitter: @BirriaQueen
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/birriaqueenoftexas
- Other: Tiktok: SeasoningBombs
