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Simplifying... Inshort

A former PepsiCo employee, Montanez, claims he invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos after a machine malfunction left him with unflavored Cheetos that he spiced up at home.
Despite the snack's success, Montanez alleges he was sidelined from its development and later accused by PepsiCo of not being the real inventor.
Now retired, Montanez has turned his life story into a memoir and a movie, while battling PepsiCo in court over the spicy snack's true origins.

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The executive claims company ruined his career over Cheetos dispute

Ex-PepsiCo employee files lawsuit claiming he invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos

By Akash Pandey

Jul 26, 2024

02:49 pm

What's the story

Richard Montanez, a former executive at PepsiCo, has filed a lawsuit against the company over the origins of the popular snack, Flamin' Hot Cheetos. The lawsuit was filed on July 18 in California Superior Court. Montanez alleges that PepsiCo ruined his career by disputing his claim that he invented the spicy flavor of the Cheetos snacks. He began working for PepsiCo as a janitor at its Frito-Lay plant in Ranch Cucamonga, California, in 1977.

Snack inception

The birth of Flamin' Hot Cheetos: Montanez's story

The idea for the spicy snack was born when a machine at Frito-Lay plant malfunctioned, leaving a batch of unflavored Cheetos. Montanez took these home and dusted them with chili powder, aiming to mimic the flavor of elote, a popular grilled seasoned corn dish in Mexico. In 1991, he requested a meeting with PepsiCo CEO Roger Enrico to pitch his spicy Cheetos concept. According to the lawsuit, Enrico approved of the presentation and instructed the company to develop spicy Cheetos.

Career trajectory

Career progression and PepsiCo's alleged betrayal

Flamin' Hot Cheetos was introduced by the company in 1992. Despite its success, Montanez alleges that he was excluded from discussions and testing by PepsiCo's research and development department. He continued to develop spicy snacks like Flamin' Hot Popcorn and Lime and Chili Fritos. In 2000, Montanez was promoted to business development manager in Southern California, later becoming PepsiCo's vice president of multicultural marketing and sales.

Post-Retirement controversy

Post-PepsiCo career and the controversy

Montanez retired from PepsiCo in 2019 to become a full-time motivational speaker. His life story was published as a memoir in 2021 and adapted into a movie, Flamin' Hot, in 2023. The lawsuit alleges that PepsiCo cooperated with a Los Angeles Times article in 2021 that claimed others within the company were already developing spicy snacks when Montanez approached them. The article also suggested it was these individuals, not Montanez, who named the snack "Flamin' Hot."