Her Grandfather Built It With One Seasoning in 1985. Nearly 40 Years Later, It’s in Dodger Stadium.

Chef Merito started in 1985 with a single carne asada seasoning, founded by Lauren Corugedo’s Cuban immigrant grandfather, Plinio Garcia Sr., with no marketing budget — just a recipe good enough that word of mouth did the rest. His wife, María, named it Chef Merito, “the best chef,” as a nod to his tireless devotion.

Nearly four decades later, Lauren stepped into the business as a second-generation leader, head of marketing, tasked with modernizing a brand that had built its entire identity on staying exactly the same.

The brand is now in Costco, Amazon, and major retailers nationwide — and yes, Dodger Stadium, where Lauren brokered the partnership that made Chef Merito the official seasoning of the Dodgers, which for a Los Angeles-born seasoning brand is close to a full-circle moment.

The hardest part of any second-generation business isn’t growth. It’s growing without erasing the thing that made people trust the first version. Lauren’s had to walk that line in real time.

Lauren talks through stepping into the family business and scaling it nationally without losing what made it work in the first place, on this episode of Starting Small.

Listen to the full conversation with Lauren Corugedo on Apple Podcasts