Foodstuffs Emerge winner brings a taste of Mexico to New World stores nationwide
6 June 2025
Auckland’s beloved food truck, then Lucky Taco, is bringing auténtico kerbside Mexican food to New World supermarket shelves after taking out the coveted Foodstuffs Emerge award.
The spicy brainchild of Sarah and Otis Frizzell, the Lucy Taco has been one of Auckland’s most iconic food trucks for over a decade. Now, with the support of Foodstuffs Emerge, the brand is set to spice up mealtimes from Kerikeri to Invercargill with its range of marinades and salsas.
The Frizzells’ love for taco trucks began during their honeymoon in Los Angeles when Sarah fell in love with the diverse range of funky eateries on wheels that could be found across the city.
Upon their return home, after spending weeks eating delicious fresh tacos, they found themselves unimpressed by what Auckland had to offer and turned to their own kitchen to recreate their LA experience. It was at the dinner table that the idea of starting a taco truck and ultimately a range of their own was first seriously considered.
“If I was going to leave behind my career in advertising to start a taco truck, we wanted to get it right and bring the entire experience to life with a beautiful character truck that served messy, delicious, addictive street food,” says Sarah.
“We spent nearly two months in Mexico, travelling around, eating a frankly ridiculous number of tacos and developing recipes that blended together everything we were learning in a way that could cater to the requirements of the people we would be serving back in Auckland.”
The Covid-19 pandemic saw demand for at-home taco kits take off and gave the pair, who by that point had cemented The Lucky Taco’s place as street food royalty, their first taste of expanding into fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and kickstarted their journey into the retail market.
Before winning the Emerge Small Supplier category, The Lucky Taco stocked a range of salsas, marinades and taco mixes in a small number of supermarkets and specialty stores. Unexpected hurdles and setbacks in the last five years kept the goal of expanding further always slightly out of reach, says Sarah.
“The support of Foodstuffs not only provided The Lucky Taco with the break it needed to get onto supermarket shelves nationwide, but it has also accelerated the process tenfold.
“Our passion for good food has allowed us to get this far, and while we would have eventually made it here on our own, being able to lean on other people and their expertise has made it a much easier process than we could have imagined.”
2024 was the second time The Lucky Taco entered Foodstuffs Emerge. After failing to win the title in 2023, Sarah sought feedback from judges and set about actioning it. One of the biggest recommended changes was to its packaging; The Lucky Taco products now come in stylishly designed easy-to-use pouches. When the time came to enter again, Sarah practiced her presentation until it was perfect.
Sarah’s dedication to refining both pitch and product paid off, says Foodstuffs North Island, CEO Chris Quin, acknowledging the potential The Lucky Taco has to disrupt the current market.
“Sarah and Otis have done something really special with The Lucky Taco - it’s full of personality, flavour, and a genuine love for what they do. “That’s exactly the kind of energy and innovation we want to back through Foodstuffs Emerge - people with a great idea, a great product, and the drive to make it happen. Its another small New Zealand supplier success with Foodies.
“You can taste the care and creativity that’s gone into every pouch, and we’re excited to help bring something this unique and authentic to more Kiwi tables.”
The Lucky Taco’s prize for impressing the panel of industry experts was a support package valued at more than $70,000. The package included Precision Media campaign solutions, supply chain support, marketing and merchandising consultation, and strategy development sessions with industry leaders.
An additional unexpected outcome from entering Emerge is the connections that have formed between the top-10 finalists, who regularly communicate via WhatsApp.
“Building a business can be both confronting and lonely and it’s hard for people who haven’t been in that situation before to necessarily understand it,” says Sarah.
“Having a support network of people who get it has been refreshing.”
With The Lucky Taco’s products now on supermarket shelves across the country, Sarah is beyond grateful for the support Foodstuffs have shown throughout the process of getting them there.
“From industry experts to the people on the ground physically getting our product into stores, there has only been encouragement and understanding.
“The distribution centres gave me a ring as soon as our product arrived at the warehouse, which was such a small and unexpected thing, but it really speaks to the level of care we’ve received throughout this journey.”
The spicy brainchild of Sarah and Otis Frizzell, the Lucy Taco has been one of Auckland’s most iconic food trucks for over a decade. Now, with the support of Foodstuffs Emerge, the brand is set to spice up mealtimes from Kerikeri to Invercargill with its range of marinades and salsas.
The Frizzells’ love for taco trucks began during their honeymoon in Los Angeles when Sarah fell in love with the diverse range of funky eateries on wheels that could be found across the city.
Upon their return home, after spending weeks eating delicious fresh tacos, they found themselves unimpressed by what Auckland had to offer and turned to their own kitchen to recreate their LA experience. It was at the dinner table that the idea of starting a taco truck and ultimately a range of their own was first seriously considered.
“If I was going to leave behind my career in advertising to start a taco truck, we wanted to get it right and bring the entire experience to life with a beautiful character truck that served messy, delicious, addictive street food,” says Sarah.
“We spent nearly two months in Mexico, travelling around, eating a frankly ridiculous number of tacos and developing recipes that blended together everything we were learning in a way that could cater to the requirements of the people we would be serving back in Auckland.”
The Covid-19 pandemic saw demand for at-home taco kits take off and gave the pair, who by that point had cemented The Lucky Taco’s place as street food royalty, their first taste of expanding into fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and kickstarted their journey into the retail market.
Before winning the Emerge Small Supplier category, The Lucky Taco stocked a range of salsas, marinades and taco mixes in a small number of supermarkets and specialty stores. Unexpected hurdles and setbacks in the last five years kept the goal of expanding further always slightly out of reach, says Sarah.
“The support of Foodstuffs not only provided The Lucky Taco with the break it needed to get onto supermarket shelves nationwide, but it has also accelerated the process tenfold.
“Our passion for good food has allowed us to get this far, and while we would have eventually made it here on our own, being able to lean on other people and their expertise has made it a much easier process than we could have imagined.”
2024 was the second time The Lucky Taco entered Foodstuffs Emerge. After failing to win the title in 2023, Sarah sought feedback from judges and set about actioning it. One of the biggest recommended changes was to its packaging; The Lucky Taco products now come in stylishly designed easy-to-use pouches. When the time came to enter again, Sarah practiced her presentation until it was perfect.
Sarah’s dedication to refining both pitch and product paid off, says Foodstuffs North Island, CEO Chris Quin, acknowledging the potential The Lucky Taco has to disrupt the current market.
“Sarah and Otis have done something really special with The Lucky Taco - it’s full of personality, flavour, and a genuine love for what they do. “That’s exactly the kind of energy and innovation we want to back through Foodstuffs Emerge - people with a great idea, a great product, and the drive to make it happen. Its another small New Zealand supplier success with Foodies.
“You can taste the care and creativity that’s gone into every pouch, and we’re excited to help bring something this unique and authentic to more Kiwi tables.”
The Lucky Taco’s prize for impressing the panel of industry experts was a support package valued at more than $70,000. The package included Precision Media campaign solutions, supply chain support, marketing and merchandising consultation, and strategy development sessions with industry leaders.
An additional unexpected outcome from entering Emerge is the connections that have formed between the top-10 finalists, who regularly communicate via WhatsApp.
“Building a business can be both confronting and lonely and it’s hard for people who haven’t been in that situation before to necessarily understand it,” says Sarah.
“Having a support network of people who get it has been refreshing.”
With The Lucky Taco’s products now on supermarket shelves across the country, Sarah is beyond grateful for the support Foodstuffs have shown throughout the process of getting them there.
“From industry experts to the people on the ground physically getting our product into stores, there has only been encouragement and understanding.
“The distribution centres gave me a ring as soon as our product arrived at the warehouse, which was such a small and unexpected thing, but it really speaks to the level of care we’ve received throughout this journey.”