Healthy Snacks Retailer: HOyos Snacks

Meet This Month’s Hot Entrepreneurs!

Meet Octavio and Isaura, founders of HOyos, a snack food company based in New York. HOyos is not only creating the freshest and tastiest plantain chips and other snacks, but is also helping create jobs in the U.S. and in Latin America.

Octavio and Isaura Hoyos came to Gouchev Law because they wanted a business advocate who is also investing in them and their business.

GL: Tell us a little about your business?

HOyos: We started the business because my wife and I really love plantain chips and eat them with almost anything. We both come from countries where plantains are a staple. In my home country of Ecuador you get some of the best plantains in the world.

We knew we could do better than most of the companies selling plantain chips, especially when it came to freshness and quality. Now we are one of three plantain chip manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and the only one in the northeast. We are dedicated to providing a high-quality healthy snack made here in the U.S.

We also wanted to help create jobs both in Ecuador and in the U.S. so we source our plantains there and manufacture in New York.

GL: Why was it important to you to hire a lawyer for your business?

HOyos: We had been thinking of hiring a lawyer from the beginning, but we just didn’t know when the right time was to make the investment. It just so happened that we were approached by a company that wanted to feature our products in their own product offering. So we started talking with them to explore the relationship. They loved us and our products so much that they wanted to invest in us.

That’s when I knew I needed someone to help us, and we instantly hired Gouchev Law.

It was important for us to make sure we got the best advice from a counsel we can trust, rely on and someone who we felt would have our backs whenever we needed.

GL: Did you have any fears or doubts about hiring a lawyer?

HOyos: Definitely. Truth is that lawyers have a bad rap. If you haven’t worked with many of them, you don’t know if they’re overcharging. Besides that, they usually don’t get it when it comes to business. An honest and good attorney with a great personality is really hard to find.

GL: What made you go with Gouchev Law?

HOyos: From the moment I spoke to Jana, she rolled her sleeves up and gave me tips, going above and beyond any consult I’ve had with a lawyer. I knew her law firm was different. I felt that there was honesty from the start. In my experience from speaking with others, I knew Gouchev Law was really good about providing affordable rates to small business owners.

Besides that, Jana and her team understand our business completely. Jana is a tough negotiator on our behalf and stops at nothing to get us the best terms in a deal.

We also went with Gouchev Law because they genuinely want our business to succeed, and it shows in all our communications.

GL: How does it feel to have a lawyer on your side?

HOyos: Really excellent. I love the way it is more of a relationship than a business deal. I feel that my company is taken care of and that’s invaluable to me as business owner. When I pick up the phone and ask Jana about something I know I’m getting solid advice for the health of my business.

GL: How has the process of working with us been so far?

HOyos: It by far exceeds what I ever expected from a law firm. Once we hired a business lawyer, good things just started to happen.

We plan to use Gouchev Law as our business grows and for years to come.

GL: What’s your advice to fellow business owners about finding and working with the right attorney?

HOyos: Make sure there is some chemistry with the attorney you speak to initially. You’re going to be talking to them a lot. Don’t hire an attorney that doesn’t have your best interests in mind right from the beginning.

GL: What’s in store for your business in 2015?

HOyos: We brought on some strategic partners and investors. We’re growing at such a fast pace that we might need to move out from our facility soon into a larger one. Having Gouchev Law on our side definitely contributed to this.

Learn more about HOyos here.

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