Founder and director of The Lucky Taco, Sarah Frizzell was a designer and art director in the advertising industry for eight years before tacos took over her life.
Along with her husband and co-founder, Otis, she launched The Lucky Taco truck in 2013, driven purely by their love for tacos.
“We fell in love with tacos on our honeymoon in Los Angeles and Mexico and developed the concept of The Lucky Taco Truck, sipping margaritas and watching the sunset on Santa Monica Boulevard,” said Frizzell.
As the truck’s following grew, the couple saw an opportunity to bring that same taco truck taste to supermarket shelves. Transitioning into FMCG challenged them to elevate every part of the business, but it also enabled them to scale and build a premium challenger brand.
Frizzell said that watching The Lucky Taco evolve from a single food truck into a nationally recognised supermarket brand has been incredibly rewarding. At the same time, she added that the real highlight was seeing customers choose the brand again and again.
“Earning a place in their supermarket trolleys, hearts, and homes is something we never take for granted.”
She has always believed that food has a unique ability to bring people together and was proud to work alongside the Foodstuffs co-ops, which backed their growth as an emerging New Zealand brand.
She added that there is still a significant runway ahead for The Lucky Taco and that this possibility has continued to energise her every single day.
“I’m also driven by the chance to create a business that supports both professional success and a rich, balanced life, and in the future, I’d like to help others do the same. Every time you are rejected, you are one step closer to your dream. Keep going,” said Frizzell.
One lesson that has guided her is to stay relentlessly close to the customer while keeping long-term vision firmly in sight. She mentioned that she admired founders who balanced creativity with strong commercial discipline, those who understood that lasting brands are built through both emotional connection and operational excellence.
“Emotional connection is my strength. I am a heart founder. But starting to understand and becoming passionate about the operational infrastructure involved in scaling an FMCG brand is dangerously compelling, and I’m absolutely loving the challenge.”
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