Pinole Blue honors the tradition of ancient culinary recipes, connecting cultures through heritage ingredients and providing a taste of history
Pinole Blue's journey began in a dorm room while Eddie was pursuing his business studies at Wichita State University. Eddie's family, hailing from Chihuahua, Mexico, would always bring back pinole from their family trips. It was during a scholarship competition that Eddie first crossed paths with Professor Kate, but they reconnected four years later when Eddie enrolled in one of her classes. As part of the curriculum, Eddie had a one-on-one interview with Professor Kate, during which he presented the idea of Pinole Blue.
Eddie shared the significance of pinole within his family and how the Tarahumara community, renowned for their long-distance running in the mountains, consumed pinole with water. The concept behind Pinole Blue was to reintroduce this ancient recipe of dry roasted organic blue corn to the U.S. market, as many were aware of it but lacked access, while also giving back to the Tarahumara community in Chihuahua, Mexico. Professor Kate loved the idea and encouraged Eddie to start by testing the market and learning about his customers. Eddie purchased half a ton of raw heirloom blue corn from Mexico. His dorm room soon became the R&D, distribution center, and headquarters. Within a few months, Eddie updated Professor Kate on the sales and knowledge he had acquired. It was at this point that Eddie asked her to be his faculty advisor for the WSU New Venture competition. Professor Kate agreed, but with two conditions: she would only accept first place, and Eddie had to keep up with her pace. Pinole Blue went on to secure first place in the competition, and Professor Kate transitioned from advisor to co-founder and Eddie's business partner. Kyle(Offutt) made significant contributions to the success and storytelling of Pinole Blue's social media presence. However, Kyle eventually chose to pursue a career focused on storytelling. Presently, he has achieved notable success as a storyteller and is thriving as a social media influencer. Give him a follow on YouTube, IG & TikTok @kylegoesoff.
Pinole Blue began with a few pinole drink mixes, have grown to add cookies, protein bites, and even stone-ground tortillas.
Pinole Blue has been featured in major media outlets including including Midwest Living, Buzzfeed, Remezcla and Shark Tank Season 13
