Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Creator Inspires PestWorld ’19 Attendees

SAN DIEGO — A highlight of day two at PestWorld 2019 was an inspirational speech from Flamin’ Hot Cheetos creator Richard Montañez, who presented the Opening General Session, sponsored by Corteva Agriscience.

The child of migrant California workers and a high school dropout, Montañez was working as a janitor for Frito-Lay's. One of his observations was that the tried-and-true Cheetos were somewhat bland. So he brought home a few bags, and with the assistance of his wife (a talented cook), began experimenting with different spices and powders. After finding just the right mix of ingredients, both Montañez and his wife took sample bags to their respective workplaces. The responses both received were overwhelming. “People said, ‘[Frito Lay's] needs to sell these' — and that’s when I had a revelation to start a revolution.”

Through some persistence and knowing the right people, Montañez was able to pitch his idea to the CEO of Frito-Lay’s. The CEO agreed to a meeting (in front of executives and other management) the next time he was in California.

This was an important leadership lesson that Montañez learned. The Frito-Lay’s CEO led as a “deliverer” — someone who believes that your job as a leader is to develop people to their fullest potential — as opposed to a “pharaoh,” someone who leads by molding their employees in their own image.

Prior to the meeting, Montañez went to the library to research how to develop a marketing plan. He put together a presentation on an overheard transparency sheet and he and his wife packaged and sealed 100 bags.

Impressed with the product and presentation, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos got greenlighted. The rest, as they say, is history. Flamin’ Hot Cheetos quickly became one of Frito-Lay’s most successful products and has had a significant cultural impact. Montañez, curently leads multicultural sales and marketing across Pepsi’s North American divisions. He is a four-time recipient of PepsiCo’s Chairman’s award and founder of Onelite, a nonprofit organization that provides U.S. families in need with food and school supplies.