Tortilla chip brand welcomes Jimmy Fallon as investor

Snack maker Xochitl's CEO chats about the brand's two new collaborations.

Courtesy of Xochitl

After 30 years of tortilla chip-making, Xochitl is ready for a bigger stage with a brand new (late night) host. The snack brand is unveiling a refreshed visual identity celebrating its Mexican heritage while bringing new vibrancy to the brand, it says. In addition, Xochitl is welcoming Emmy award-winning entertainer and chips and salsa enthusiast Jimmy Fallon as an investor and partner in the company.

Fallon joins Xochitl with a shared passion for the joy of bringing people together through good food, the company says. He will play a key role in bringing new energy to Xochitl through campaigns, digital storytelling, and retail activations that emphasize the brand’s heritage and handcrafted approach.

The brand is also launching another collaboration: Xochitl x hot sauce company Cholula, from McCormick & Company. The flavor collaboration will launch exclusively at over 2,000 Walmart stores, and will roll out on Amazon and at grocers nationwide in the coming months.

We talked to Jolie Weber, CEO, Xochitl, to learn more about the two new collaborations.

Liz Parker Kuhn: What were your goals with partnering with Jimmy Fallon?

Jolie Weber: The goal here is to drive brand awareness and grow distribution. The partnership with Jimmy grew out of a simple insight: Xochitl is hard to pronounce but easy to love. Jimmy is known for being authentic, creative, and incredibly relatable, so who better to help people learn how to say “so-cheel” in a way that’s fun, unique, and memorable. With over 32 million followers on YouTube and 27 million on Instagram, his influence helps us drive massive brand awareness and introduce Xochitl to a wider audience in a meaningful way.

LPK: How did the collaboration with Cholula come about, and can you talk a bit about it?

JW: We are both brands with Mexican heritage. Xochitl is born in Texas, and Cholula is born in Mexico, but both have very strong authentic Mexican roots. Additionally, consumers love to add salsa and hot sauce to their chips, so we thought, why not add the Cholula flavor directly to the chip. Based on these insights, we approached McCormick with the idea.

LPK: How does Xochitl’s Walmart rollout support its brand growth?

JW: Walmart is the largest retailer in the U.S., so being on shelf at Walmart was important to us. We recently entered Walmart regionally in Texas, but through the collaboration with McCormick we were able to increase our presence with a pallet program in 2,000+ stores featuring Sea Salt and Cholula flavored chips to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. This expansion in distribution helps our brand grow sales but also increases our brand awareness.

Beyond Walmart, you can find our Cholula chips in other major retailers like Central Market, Big Y, Albertsons, Sprouts, Hy Vee, among others. We’re excited to continue exploring new distribution and retail partner opportunities.

LPK: The brand recently refreshed its brand identity—what’s new with the refresh?

JW: We wanted to modernize without losing the soul of the Xochitl brand. Xochitl has always stood for artisanal quality and cultural authenticity, and we wanted the refreshed look to reflect that. The inspiration for the bag comes from a style of art called rótulos, which are traditional hand-painted signs on the side of local businesses like taquerias and store corners. They really represent Mexican heritage and a unique art style. We intentionally made our new bags colorful, with each color representing a product variation to make it easier for consumers to find on shelf.

Our refreshed packaging is rolling out in May. We are also updating our digital presence with a new look on our website, our social channels, and point-of-sale materials.

LPK: What’s next for Xochitl in 2025?

JW: Right now, we’re focused on rolling out our fresh new packaging, launching an exciting flavor collaboration with McCormick under the iconic Cholula brand, and partnering with Jimmy Fallon to drive brand awareness, encourage trial, and—yes—help the world learn how to pronounce our name (it’s so-cheel!). This is a milestone moment for Xochitl, and we’re just getting started.

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Liz Parker Kuhn is the senior editor of Candy Industry and Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, and has worked at BNP Media since 2012. She has written for CBS Detroit as well as for her own blogs. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan. Liz can be contacted at (248) 839-7156 or at parkerkuhne@bnpmedia.com.