A Good FriendCelebrating its 20th anniversary, Amigo’s Foods continues to goabove and beyond to serve its customers. By Chris Petersen

nation when it opened its distributioncenter in Chicago. Over time, the com-pany became successful enough to openfacilities in two new markets, adding dis-tribution centers in Atlanta and Phoenix. Amigo’s Foods prides itself on being

able to provide the widest selection ofproteins in the meat distribution indus-try. Along with beef, pork and poultry,Amigo’s Foods also carries seafood,lamb, goat, cheeses and several otherspecialty items. According to Hurtado,the majority of the company’s customersare Hispanic markets, with about 40percent of its business coming fromother sources. The one element that is consistent

across all market segments of the meat

A nationwide meat distributor, Amigos Foods prides itself on every type of protein customers need, and will provide it to them wherever they need it.

migo’s Foods is aptly named, as the nationwide meatdistributor has been a good friend to customers in theindustry for 20 years. As President Max Hurtadoexplains, the company has become a major success inthe industry over the last two decades by concentrating

on providing customers with everything they need in terms of proteinand providing it at exactly the right time. With its emphasis firmlylocked on providing exemplary customer service, Amigo’s Foods hasbig goals for the future, and there’s every indication that the company

will be able to achieve them. The company was founded in Houston in 1994 by

partners Francisco Moreno and Rafael Ortega. It wasopened because Ortega was having a difficult timesourcing meat for his meat market stores from otherdistributors. Over time, the fledgling Amigo’s Foodsgrew into one of the largest meat distributors inHouston, and in 2001 the company took a chance onentering one of the most competitive markets in the

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Amigos Foodswww.amigosfoods.bizHeadquarters: HoustonEmployees: 1,000+Specialty:Meat distributionMax Hurtado, Chicago divisionpresident: “I tell my customers, ‘Ifwe don’t have it, you don’t need it.’”

company profile

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distribution industry is the ferocity ofthe competition. Hurtado says Amigo’sFoods faces fierce competition every-where in the nation, but he doesn’t mindworking hard to keep up with it. “Like inanything else, we all have competition,”he says. “Competition is good – it keepsyou on your toes.”

Secret of SuccessHurtado says the formula behindAmigo’s Foods’ success is relativelysimple: The company carries every-thing customers need, and it provides itto them whenever they need it. He saysthe sheer breadth of the protein optionsthe company offers means customersnever have to look anywhere else fortheir meats. “It’s like a one-stop shop,”he says. “You can buy everything youneed. I tell my customers, ‘If we don’thave it, you don’t need it.’” There’s more to successful distribution

Amigos Foods

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Amigos Foods understands its success comes from having the variety of products its customers need, while back-ing that up with top-notch customer service.

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than simply having the products on hand, however, and Amigo’sFoods backs up the variety of its products with top-notch customerservice. “We’re a service-oriented company,” Hurtado explains. The company’s strategically located facilities make it easy for

Amigo’s Foods to serve customers quickly and efficiently. “If theyneed something the same day, we get it for them,” Hurtado says.The company’s facilities are open 24 hours a day, seven days aweek with the exception of its Chicago facility, which is closed onSundays. However, when the need arises, Chicago will open itsdoors on Sundays in order to service its customers.

Also contributing to the strength of the company’s customerservice is the fact that Amigo’s Foods creates strong, long-lastingrelationships with its customers. Hurtado says many of its salespeople have been with the company long enough to have formedsolid friendships in the industry. Hurtado says Amigo’s Foodsunderstands that it can only be as successful as its customers are.“If our customers go out of business, that’s another customer thatwe lose,” he says.

Bright OutlookHurtado says the advantages Amigo’s Foods brings to the mar-ketplace go a long way to help the company deal with some of thechallenges it faces. Chief among these is the rising cost of food,which has consumers buying less than they did in years past.Despite the current economic difficulties, however, Hurtado saysthe strong relationships Amigo’s Foods has with customers hasmeant it has not lost any business during the recession.

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Max Hurtado (left) and CFO Manny Rangel Jr. think the future looks bright for Amigos Foods.<<

“It’s like a one-stop shop.You can buy everything you need.”-Max Hurtado

A significant change for the meatindustry is the increased regulation onfood safety and traceability concerns.“You have to be able to trace it back tothe country of origin for each productthat you sell,” Hurtado says. Althoughthe regulations required Amigos to adda significant number of product codesand become more specific with its prod-uct descriptions, Hurtado understandsthe need for increased food safety. Despite the ever-changing dynamics,

however, Hurtado is optimistic aboutthe future for Amigo’s Foods. TheHispanic segment is the fastest-grow-ing segment of the American popula-tion, and the company is growing alongwith it. Amigo’s Foods is in the processof opening another warehouse focusedon cold storage in Chicago, and it plansto open another distribution center inDallas this summer. “I think the futurelooks bright,” Hurtado says.

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Amigos Foods is on track for major growth over the next several years, and is opening a cold-storage warehouse inChicago as well as another distribution center in Dallas.

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“Like in anything else, we all have competition. Competition is good –

it keeps you on your toes.”