Fred Lindsay, who was a sales rep for Frito-Lay in the Great Lakes region before being promoted to its corporate headquarters, was also cited in interviews with former employees as being influential to the early development of spicy snacks. The internal investigation was prompted by a complaint in 2018 from Lynne Greenfeld, a former employee who managed the team that developed the spicy snack for the single serve format. A spokesperson for Frito-Lay stated, "we value Richard's many contributions to our company, especially his insights into Hispanic consumers, but we do not credit the creation of Flamin' Hot Cheetos or any Flamin' Hot products to him." Additional reporting by the Times indicated that Montañez's claims did not line up with other events in the product's release timeline, including McCormick developing the seasoning and providing initial samples to Frito-Lay on December 15, 1989, newspaper articles announcing the Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and Houston test market release in 1990, and Roger Enrico not joining Frito-Lay until 1991, among other inaccuracies. In May 2021, a Los Angeles Times article disputed Montañez's claim, reporting that based on an internal investigation at Frito-Lay, he did not create Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Newsweek reported that the flavor, since expanded to a full product line, "rejuvenated the brand" and garnered billions in revenue. It was soft-launched six months later to a test market in Los Angeles, and approved for national release in 1992. Montañez then presented the product as appealing to the growing Latino market, and provided samples in plastic bags that he had hand-decorated and sealed. He pitched this idea to CEO Roger Enrico over the phone and was invited to deliver an in-person presentation, which he prepared for by researching marketing at the public library. Flamin' Hot Cheetos Īccording to Montañez's account, when a Cheetos machine broke down, he took home a batch of unflavored snacks and seasoned them with spices akin to Mexican street corn. According to records at Frito-Lay, Montañez was promoted to a machinist operator position by October 1977, and was a senior machinist operator in autumn 1993. He dropped out of school and worked as a laborer before being hired at the age of 18 as a janitor for Frito-Lay, at its Rancho Cucamonga factory, in 1976. One of ten siblings, he was raised in a migrant labor camp in Guasti, an unincorporated community outside of Los Angeles. Montañez was born to a Mexican-American family in Ontario, California. This claim served as the basis for the 2023 film Flamin' Hot. He is best known for his claim of inventing Flamin' Hot Cheetos, which is disputed by Frito-Lay and other employees. Richard Montañez is an American businessman, motivational speaker, and author.Īfter dropping out of school, he was hired by Frito-Lay as a janitor and went on to become an executive in the company.
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