Hispanic Heritage Month at Work: Office Snack Ideas & LatinX-Owned Brands to Try

Key Takeaways

• Learn about the history behind Hispanic Heritage Month and who it honors
• Bring Hispanic Heritage Month into the pantry by featuring LatinX-owned office snacks and beverage brands
• Build the celebration around your employees by spotlighting organizations, businesses, employees, and learning opportunities

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at Work

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month  is an opportunity to bring culture, connection, and discovery into the workplace. Stock your pantry with snacks and beverages from LatinX-owned brands, create opportunities for employees to share their cultures and traditions, and ask your team what would make the celebration meaningful to them. Here are a few ways to bring Hispanic Heritage Month to life at work.

From September 15 to October 15, Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) is a US national celebration of the rich cultures and unique contributions of this community. The month also coincides with many Latin American countries’ independence days, such as Costa Rica, Mexico, Guatemala, and Chile.

In the US, Hispanics are the fastest-growing labor force group, with the Department of Labor projecting their numbers to reach 35.9 million by 2030. Here’s how you can celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at work in a fun and inclusive way with a few simple office snacks.  

How Did Hispanic Heritage Month Start

Hispanic Heritage Month has been decades in the making, growing from a single week into a nationally recognized month-long celebration. Here's a quick look at how it came to be:

• 1968: Congressmen Edward R. Roybal, George E. Brown, and Henry B. Gonzalez introduced legislation for a National Hispanic Heritage Week, which President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law that September.
• Why September 15: The date marks the independence anniversaries of five Central American countries including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile follow close behind, celebrating on September 16 and September 18.
• 1987–88: Representative Esteban E. Torres of California pushed to expand the week into a full month, an effort Illinois Senator Paul Simon carried through the Senate. President Ronald Reagan signed the expansion into law on August 17, 1988.
• 1989: The first official Hispanic Heritage Month was celebrated.

LatinX-Owned Office Snacks to Enjoy

Food is a cornerstone of any culture, and Hispanic Heritage Month is  a great opportunity to put your support behind LatinX brands, giving your team a chance to discover new options while celebrating the community behind them. Here are a few we love! 

Mezcla: LatinX Co-Founded Protein Bars

Founded by Griffin Spolansky and Coco Sotelo, who moved to the US from Mexico, Mezcla brings a global flavor sensibility to a crowded protein bar category. Its Puff-Crispy Bars use a pea-protein base for a lighter, crispier texture than a traditional bar, making it an easy better-for-you swap for the office snack station.

• Matcha Vanilla: A signature flavor pairing earthy matcha with classic vanilla.
• Peanut Butter Chocolate: A familiar, nostalgic pairing with a plant-based protein boost.
• Chocolate Pretzel: A salty-sweet, crispy-smooth combo that gives the pantry a familiar-but-elevated take on the classic afternoon office snack.

Dark Matter Coffee: LatinX-owned Coffee Roaster

Chicago-born Dark Matter Coffee brings bold flavor, creative storytelling, and direct-trade sourcing to the office coffee experience. Founded in 2007 by Jesse Diaz, the LatinX-owned roaster works with coffee producers across Latin America, including El Salvador, Mexico, and Guatemala. Its distinctive blends make it an easy way to bring something local, culturally connected, and a little unexpected to the workplace.

• Unicorn Blood (Espresso Blend): A bold espresso blend for upgrading the everyday office coffee routine.
• A Love Supreme (House Breakfast Blend): An approachable house blend that works well as an everyday workplace coffee.
• Chocolate City (Cold Brew): A ready-to-drink option for employees who prefer their caffeine cold and convenient.

Jarritos: Mexican Soda for the Office

Founded in Mexico in 1950, Jarritos brings bright fruit flavors and a recognizable Mexican favorite to the office fridge. Made with cane sugar, its colorful lineup gives employees an easy way to discover new flavors while adding more variety to the standard soda selection.

• Mandarin Soda: The iconic citrus flavor and a Jarritos classic.
• Pineapple Soda: A bright, tropical option for employees craving something fruity.
• Fruit Punch Soda: A sweet, fruit-forward flavor that brings even more variety to the beverage mix.

Solely: LatinX-founded Whole Fruit Snacks

Founded by Mexican entrepreneur Simon Sacal, Solely turns whole, organic fruit into simple snacks with short ingredient lists. Its fruit-forward lineup is a strong pantry addition for teams looking to balance familiar treats with better-for-you options employees can grab throughout the day.

• Organic Mango Fruit Jerky: A chewy, naturally sweet snack made with organic mango.
• Organic Mango Whole Fruit Gummies: A fruit-based take on the classic gummy format.
• Organic Pineapple Fruit Jerky: A bright, tropical option that adds another whole-fruit flavor to the pantry.

Rip Van Wafels: LatinX Co-Founded Stroopwafel Snacks

Co-founded by Marco De Leon, who is of Dominican and Brazilian descent, Rip Van Wafels puts a modern spin on the traditional Dutch stroopwafel. Its individually packaged wafels make an easy grab-and-go pantry addition, especially for employees looking for something sweet alongside their morning coffee or afternoon pick-me-up.

• Dutch Caramel & Vanilla Wafel: A classic caramel-and-vanilla combination inspired by the traditional stroopwafel.
• Snickerdoodle Wafel: A cinnamon-forward option that brings a familiar cookie flavor to the lineup.
• Honey & Oats Wafel: A lightly sweet option with honey and oat flavors that pairs naturally with coffee or tea.

How to Keep Your Celebrations Inclusive

Survey Your Team Members

Ahead of the celebrations, ask all of your team members what they’d like to see and what their availability is like. You can do this during an all-hands meeting or via email, or via an online survey. Being inclusive means making sure everyone has an opportunity to voice their opinions if they’d like to.

Spotlight LatinX Employees

You’re celebrating your Hispanic and Latin American coworkers, so it makes sense to invite them to participate in the planning and events. Perhaps they’ll want to share a dish that’s been passed down in their family or play a traditional song from their native country. However, if they don’t feel up to it, they shouldn’t be pressured to partake.

Additionally, this is a great time to showcase the accomplishments of your LatinX team members and to highlight any DEI updates you may have in your company.

Continue to Learn

When it comes to DEI holidays, it’s common for leaders to feel nervous about saying the wrong thing or coming across as insensitive. Don’t let the fear of making a mistake stop you from celebrating HHM. Thankfully, so many answers can be found via a simple Google search. To help you, here are some reliable sources to learn more about this community:

• HHM Briefing Book from The Hispanic Star
• National Hispanic Heritage Month government website
• HHM resources from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino

If you’re still unsure, just ask! Acknowledge that you don’t know much about a particular culture, express your desire to learn more about and celebrate it, and then ask your LatinX team members for their feedback. This is also a fantastic opportunity to tap into your DEI team and LatinX ERGs (and if you don’t have either of those, it’s an ideal time to start one!). 

Conclusion

From learning the history to celebrating your LatinX team members and stocking brands like Dark Matter Coffee, Jarritos, Solely, Rip Van Wafels, and Mezcla, there are plenty of delicious ways to celebrate all month long.

And that support doesn’t have to stop when the month ends. The Crafty Platform makes it easy to filter for minority-owned brands, so you can continue featuring them in your pantry year-round.