LATINX SPOTLIGHT: Rocio Munz

Welcome to our series celebrating the Latinx healers, creators and wellness advocates making an impact in our communities. Wellness is multi-dimensional, as it consists beyond the physical, but also mental, spiritual, financial, environmental, and social aspects of our lives.

It is important to share the stories of Latinx individuals beyond Hispanic Heritage Month, as it inspires others to create their own narratives. This series consists of real stories of inspirational Latinx individuals creating safe spaces for connection, community, and self-care through the power of wellness. This week we celebrate Rocio Muñoz the founder of Antojitos Puros who we met a a local yoga event in Brooklyn where we had an opportunity to sample her delicious and healthy aguas frescas.

What is unique about being Latina in the wellness space?
Our essence makes us unique, seeing one another brings a sense of belonging that’s critical to the wellness space.

What inspired you to start your own business?
My inspiration for Antojitos Puros came from a need to access balanced snacks. Our reduced sugar aguas frescas were a way to introduce something familiar with a twist. There’s still a lot of trial and error and learning but I hope as our product matures we keep meeting our customers dietary needs.

What is the best advice someone gave you when you started your business?
Do it afraid! Upon meeting several inspiring Latina entrepreneurs I noticed that they all pushed past fear at different stages of their business. In the end, it’s always worth it.

What is the best advice you would give another person who wanted to start their own small business?
My advice would be to remember to “not let perfect be the enemy of the possible.” Getting out of my head was my biggest challenge, creating small actionable goals helped me gain momentum.

Do you have a personal yoga/meditation practice? How has it helped you?
I started practicing yoga daily about two years ago when a lot was changing in my life. It helped me navigate difficult emotions and continues to keep me grounded and present.

Share your favorite yoga/wellness social media/web accounts that inspire you?
I really enjoy wellness accounts that recreate Latine recipes showing us that foods we grew up with can be healthy. Aside from media/web accounts, I’ve really been loving health conscious Latin inspired products, here are a few:

I Love Chamoy: A sugar free chamoy with no artificial dyes, sweetened with monk fruit. This is always an option on the Antojitos Puros menu. Drizzle the sweet, tangy and spicy sauce on fruit or rim one of our aguas frescas with it.

De La Calle Tepache: Tepache is a fermented pineapple drink that has been enjoyed in Mexico for centuries, this is a take on that making it a modern Mexican soda. The prickly pear flavor is my fave.

Mezcla: The artwork on these plant based bars caught my eye at the supermarket (it’s illustrated by a Peruvian artist) but the Peruvian Cocoa Peanut Butter Mezcla Bar got me hooked.

What does the future of wellness look like?
I see us at the forefront! Latines make up 19% of the US population with a buying power of 2.7 trillion. We’re already taking up space in the wellness market and will only keep growing.

The theme of our current issue is JOY, how do you inspire joy in your life and those around you?
Energy is contagious, by supporting one another’s wins and creating space to connect we keep our community alive and thriving. To me, community is the ultimate joy.