Meet The CEO of San Antonio’s Twang Beer Salt, Elysia Treviño-Gonzales
Six years ago, Elysia Treviño-Gonzales took the reins as the President and Chief Executive Officer at Twang, her family’s legacy started by her father, Roger Treviño, Sr., in 1986. Celebrating its 37th anniversary this year, the company has become an intrinsic part of San Antonio and Texas culture and has changed how people eat, drink, and celebrate. From her photo being featured on the early display boxes of packaging when she was seven years old to volunteering to help fill boxes of salt in her father’s garage with her siblings throughout her youth, Elysia has been an integral part of the company’s success since she was young and continues to exhibit that drive in her role today.
But with all of her current success, encountering adversity was inevitable. At an early age, Elysia lost her mother and became the matriarch of her paternal and immediate family. She has also overcome all the stereotypes of being a teenage mother by persevering to graduate with a degree in teaching from the University of Texas San Antonio and raising four beautiful daughters with her husband while continuing to steer the growth of Twang.
Elysia’s multi-faceted experience working in all areas of Twang throughout her career has uniquely prepared her to successfully contribute to the company’s growth and be an active ally with her team leaders. First, she started in the Accounting Department, then moved to sales support, and from there to the Marketing Department, where she helped coordinate branding and design before becoming Marketing Director, then COO, and now the President and CEO.
Helping her navigate it all is her greatest business mentor, her father. Elysia says, “He came from a humble beginning, worked hard in a career unrelated to food, and took a chance at something he was passionate about. He saw “Flavor” as a vehicle of happiness for food and a way of life. For the past 37 years, Twang has continued to spread his message of adding Flavor and Fun to everyday eating and drinking one bite and sip at a time!”
As an active decision-maker in day-to-day operations and direction, Elysia oversees 60 full-time employees at the company’s 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. She also manages the operations at their Mexico plant in San Luis Potosí. Under Elysia's leadership, Twang has been on the San Antonio Business Journal’s “Best Places to Work” list for the last three years. Over half of the employees have been with Twang for five years or more, confirming that Elysia has created a work environment that fosters camaraderie, respect, and career fulfillment.
Her finger is at the pulse of Twang’s collaborations and partnerships, whether with San Antonio local organizations or other industry-related national brands, including Heineken USA (Dos XX) and Boston Beer Company (Truly Seltzers). Elysia is well-versed in the direction and innovation of the company’s full product line that focuses on enhancing eating and drinking experiences, from dressing beers using Twang Beer Salts to unique, flavorful rimming salts for margaritas to creating different flavors of all-in-one michelada cocktail mixes. Millions of products are manufactured, sold, and distributed and are available on over 20,000 store shelves across the country.
Along with the varied product line, new products are constantly in the works, and Elysia is one of the many creative minds behind them. “I seek inspiration from everything and from everywhere! I’m a foodie and entertainer at heart. So, whether it’s trying new restaurants, experimenting at home with new recipes for food or cocktails, exploring local nearby cities, reviewing trends, menus, consumer behavior, etc. I strive to see new possibilities. Something I always keep an eye for is unique packaging. I am a nerd, so to speak, regarding good packaging. Packaging and branding can be paramount to getting consumers to try a new brand.
I’m consistently walking in store aisles and tradeshows, looking for ideas to help Twang.” Elysia says.
Over the past six years, while Elysia has been CEO, sales have doubled, and Twang is expanding its footprint to retailers nationwide. Even during the pandemic, the company was able to weather economic hardships and be there for its loyal customer base and employees. Early in the pandemic, she committed to retaining and paying 100% of their employees during the riskiest of times. That commitment to her Twang family has helped solidify Elysia’s relationships with her employees. Elysia says, “Some critical skills that have aided our success would be maintaining an openness to learning, being an active listener, and leading with empathy. I keep open communication with my teams at Twang, and I don’t expect my teams to have all the answers, but I do expect collaboration among us. Magic happens when we approach business with the new lenses brought on by our colleagues. Comfortability in sharing your perspectives helps foster an environment for growth and teamwork.”
The growth of Twang over the past 37 years has been astonishing and with Elysia at the forefront of it all now, business continues to look up. As an inspiration to other working moms, women in business, and Latinas, her story and journey to success had many hardships, but she has reaped the rewards. She continues to find innovative ways to keep Twang a front-running company within the food and beverage industry, all while supporting her community and family.
