It takes a lot of corn to make more than 300,000 tortilla chips a day. At El Nacho’s Waltham factory, it also takes stone grinding, avocado oil, bold flavors and what co-founder Joe Cassinelli calls a little bit of magic.
El Nacho, which was co-founded by Cassinelli and Tobe Armendariz, has been producing its chef-crafted chips at a factory on Clematis Avenue since 2023. The growing snack company employs about 30 people, with most of its production staff living in and around Waltham.
The factory’s proximity to Boston and Route 95 makes it an ideal location for producing and distributing its chips, according to Cassinelli.
Location may help, but the real work happens inside the factory.
The process begins with whole corn sourced directly from Midwest farmers who use regenerative growing practices, which are designed to conserve water and support biodiversity. El Nacho uses nixtamalization, an ancient process that involves cooking corn with water and lime before grinding it into masa. The corn is stone-ground, formed into tortillas and fried in 100% avocado oil, which gives the chips a natural, clean flavor.
“The way everything happens right from the start through the baking part of the tortillas is the magic that differentiates our chips,” Cassinelli said. “It’s been our recipe for success.”
The Waltham-made chips come in five varieties: “OG” Original, a sea salt chip; Ms. Mango, flavored with honey, mango and lime; El Diablo, featuring chiles and lime; ¡Yo Piña!, with pineapple and barbecue; and “OG” Blue Corn, a sea salt blue corn chip.
“We season our chips with all natural ingredients, so it’s real mango juice, real pineapple juice, real honey powder, real chiles,” co-owner and master chef Armendariz added. “There are no additives or preservatives, all of which gives us a very unique profile in the market.”
The company’s distinctive logo is inspired by the spirit of lucha libre, a form of professional wrestling originating in Mexico. El Nacho chips are available locally including at Whole Foods, Roche Bros., Shaw’s, Star Market and Brothers Marketplace, as well as at thousands of regional and independent stores coast to coast.
For Cassinelli, the company’s growth is also about the people making the chips each day.
“We’re all working together at El Nacho in Waltham to build our brand. Everyone is committed and engaged in building something special,” Cassinelli said. “We have employees that are happy to come to work and are proud of what they’re doing.”
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