Joseph Cassinelli @ El Nacho

Tortilla Chips Reimagined Through Lucha Libre & Regenerative Ag

On this episode, Anthony and Kyle speak with Joseph Cassinelli, the Founder and President of El Nacho. El Nacho supports regenerative agriculture with their line of tortilla chips made with certified regenerative corn. They have five SKUs represented by fun luchador characters (Ms. Mango, Yo Pińa, El Diablo, El Nacho, and El Nacho blue corn) and can be found online and at a variety of retailers across the Midwest and Northeast.

From Restauranteur to Regenerative Chipmaker

Joe Cassinelli, a chef and founder of the Painted Burro Restaurant Group, always had an affinity for top-quality tortillas. He had long been curious about what it would take to make them in a factory setting. During the pandemic, his friend Toby pitched the idea of not only opening a tortilla factory but also launching a tortilla chip brand. Excited about the opportunity to use his creativity and storytelling skills, Joe quickly said yes. Together, they set out to create a snack that felt playful and approachable, but also made with intention — a better-for-you chip that kids would love and parents could feel good about.

Nixtamalization and True Flavor Innovation

Every El Nacho chip starts as a great tortilla. El Nacho nixtamalizes and stone-grinds their corn in-house, a process rooted in ancient Aztec tradition that unlocks both flavor and nutrition. Nixtamalization softens the corn kernel, enhances the bioavailability of nutrients, and brings out the richness of the corn itself. Toby carves and maintains the millstones by hand to ensure the perfect grind.

El Nacho’s flavors are anything but conventional. Inspired by dishes from Joe’s restaurants — like mango salsa or pineapple-topped carnitas tacos — the chips feature bold combinations made from real ingredients. They use actual mango, pineapple, and chiles instead of synthetic flavorings, creating depth and brightness big brands can’t fake. The chips are baked, hand-cut, and then fried in avocado oil, which enhances the natural flavors. Each step is designed to deliver chips that feel familiar but taste wildly original.

Luchadores, Brand Identity, and Latino Cultural Influence

"We’re not just making chips — we’re building a cast of community heroes." – Joe

El Nacho’s branding is as bold and intentional as the chips themselves. Joe, a lifelong comic book and wrestling fan, wanted the brand to feel fun, energetic, and rooted in storytelling. Toby grew up in Mexico, where lucha libre wrestlers were local heroes. Together, they created a cast of characters like El Nacho, Ms. Mango, and El Diablo to represent each flavor. Every character comes with a backstory inspired by Latin culture, giving each chip a personality and inviting consumers into a larger narrative universe. Joe also wanted the storytelling to be inclusive — El Nacho, the brand’s central luchador, uses they/them pronouns. With bold colors, eye-catching designs, and culturally rich characters, the brand is designed to resonate with Gen Alpha, who will hopefully grow up to be long-term El Nacho fans. 

The Realities of Scaling Regenerative Supply & Demand

El Nacho’s growth will require increasing the supply of regenerative corn. Joe focuses on building real, lasting relationships with farmers and supporting them through the transition. He wants El Nacho to be a reliable offtaker that farmers can count on to buy their crop and make the certification process worth it. Joe acknowledges that regenerative certifications can be overwhelming and burdensome for farmers and brands, so he’s working to reduce friction wherever possible.

When it comes to growing the brand, Joe has focused on finding the optimal positioning for El Nacho and communicating their true differentiating points. When El Nacho entered the market, Joe quickly realized they couldn’t compete as just another artisanal chip in a craft bag. They pivoted their branding and packaging and positioned El Nacho to meet health-conscious consumers looking for bold, creative flavors. In buyer conversations today, Joe focuses on the unique manufacturing behind the chips and the real ingredients that drive their flavor. He wishes more buyers would better understand the real cost of delivering great-tasting regenerative tortilla chips when talking about price point.

"You want regen, you want avocado oil, you want better-for-you — but cheaper than Doritos? You can’t have all three. You’ve got to step up." – Joe 

Ultimately, Joe believes regen products shouldn’t be confined to natural food stores; they need to be in gas stations, sandwich shops, and conventional grocery aisles if they’re going to reach real scale. While he is focused on entering more natural retail stores like Sprouts and Whole Foods on the East Coast, he is also in conversations with conventional retailers like Albertsons, convenience juggernauts like 7-Eleven, as well as large food service distributors like US Foods. He aims to place El Nacho in boutique sandwich shops, coffee shops and other grab-n-go locations where real people snack every day. 

50% Market Share For Regen

Joe believes the path to 50% market share for regenerative brands starts with the consumer. To drive consumer awareness, he believes more can be done at the retail level with various regenerative certification bodies promoting unified and clear messaging about regenerative agriculture and regenerative products. For regen momentum to truly take off, he thinks big brands need to get involved. They bring the economies of scale that can make regenerative farming viable by enabling more acreage to transition to regenerative agriculture and giving smaller, mission-driven brands like El Nacho access to those ingredients.

“If the consumer demands it, it’s game over for everybody. We can modify our food supply chain… all the big companies will fall in line. They’ve done it in other countries—they can do it here.” – Joe

This ReGen Recap was written by Katey Finnegan

You can check out the full episode with Will & Jenni Harris at White Oak Pastures HERE

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