How He Built His Fortune

How a lot is Richard Montañez, the supposed inventor of Flamin' Hot Cheetos, in truth value? Here's the whole lot we know concerning the businessman.

Since the overdue 2000s, Richard Montañez has claimed that he invented the ever-popular and virally liked Flamin' Hot Cheetos. As he tells it, he was running as a janitor at a Frito-Lay plant in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., when he learned that the company wasn't acting as neatly within the Hispanic marketplace as a result of none of its snacks have been spicy.

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Richard took it upon himself to create a spice mix that he pitched to executives on the company. His invention was a hit — and the rest, as they say, is historical past. There's even a movie about it, titled Flamin' Hot, which it is in accordance with Richard's memoir, A Boy, a Burrito and a Cookie: From Janitor to Executive.

However, a May 2021 report from the Los Angeles Times claimed the tale is a lie. So, if Richard did not create Flamin' Hot Cheetos, how did he become the C-suite executive he claimed to be? Plus, what is his internet worth?

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What is Richard Montañez’s web price?

Once the brand new spicy Cheetos become a large luck, Richard stated he temporarily rose throughout the ranks of Frito-Lay. When he first supposedly came up with the speculation for the enduring spicy snack, Richard was in reality a "veteran machine operator" on the Rancho Cucamonga plant. But he temporarily rose the ranks in "climbing the corporate ladder."

"Montañez made it, from rags to riches, from factory floor to corporate suite," the Los Angeles Times experiences. "He just didn't make Flamin' Hot Cheetos." Richard retired in 2019, and today, he makes most of his income from motivational talking engagements, as well as the two books he penned, which element his inspiring tale.

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Richard Montañez

Author and businessman

Net worth: $15 million

Richard Montañez is an creator and businessman highest recognized for his claim of having invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

Birthdate: Aug. 15, 1958

Birthplace: Ontario, Calif.

Marriages: Judy Montañez (m. Eighties)

Children: Three sons

Along with the source of revenue from his books and speaking engagements, Richard will most probably receive repayment from the Eva Longoria-directed biopic detailing his life. And while the precise wage he made at Frito-Lay is unknown, Wealthy Rich Celeb estimates that Richard has a net value of round $15 million.

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So, did Richard Montañez in reality invent Flamin' Hot Cheetos?

Although Richard appears to nonetheless be sticking to his story of being the inventor of Flamin' Hot Cheetos, many are now calling his account into query after the Los Angeles Times exposé. Plus, there used to be even an inside investigation at Frito-Lay that concluded that the highly spiced snack used to be not the brainchild of Richard and had in reality hit markets two years prior to Richard says he invented the Flamin' Hotline.

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Richard disputed the L.A. Times article and Frito-Lay's claims on May 16, 2021.

"In that era, Frito-Lay had five divisions. I don't know what the other parts of the country, the other divisions — I don't know what they were doing. I'm not even going to try to dispute that lady, because I don't know," he told Variety. "All I can tell you is what I did. All I have is my history, what I did in my kitchen."

A couple of days later, on May 24, 2021, PepsiCo issued a lengthy statement in toughen of Richard Montañez: "The sincere truth is, at PepsiCo, we believe in the strength and power of teams, and we attribute the launch and success of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and other products to several people who worked at PepsiCo, including Richard Montañez."

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"Far from being an urban legend, Richard had a remarkable 40-plus-year career at PepsiCo and made an incredible impact on our business and employees and continues to serve as an inspiration today," they said.

PepsiCo persisted, "His insights and ideas on how to better serve Hispanic consumers were invaluable and directly resulted in the success of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. To be clear, we have no reason to doubt the stories he shares about taking the initiative to create new product ideas for the Cheetos brand, and pitching them to past PepsiCo leaders."

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