The three branches of the Texas government pic.twitter.com/TYyvUn98ls
— Lucas (@Coyylu) December 18, 2020
Lucas declared a truth on Twitter back in December 2020. His declaration is that the three branches of Texas government are: Buc-ee's, H-E-B, and Whataburger. Texas Snax already is sufficiently helping get Buc-ee's snacks and merchandise to those who don't live near a location by reselling and shipping them to all who want them. Starting December 7, 2021, we're going to start doing the same thing with H-E-B products.
We're excited, and we reckon that anyone who knows Texas is as well. Besides, we're named Texas Snax. This move fits the brand.
For the uninitiated, what is H-E-B? Well, at its basic level, it is a Texas based grocery store, but just like Buc-ee's and other Texan institutions of similar stature, things are more complex than they appear.
According to the H-E-B Wikipedia entry, it all started on November 26,1905 when Florence Butt started the C.C. Butt Grocery Store in Kerrville, TX about an hour's drive northwest of San Antonio. Florence's youngest son Howard took over in 1919 after he returned from military service during World War I. In 1927, he successfully launched a second store in Del Rio near the state and country's border with Mexico. He proceeded to acquire three other grocery stores in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. With all this in place, he decided to rename the chain using the initials of his full name, Howard Edward Butt. That's where the H-E-B comes from.
Fast forward to 2018, and the company has certainly grown. It had 340 stores that year. In 2020, Forbes ranked H-E-B ninth on its list of largest private companies in America; that's what netting a total revenue greater than $31.2 billion in 2019 will get ya. That amount also ranked it as the 19th largest company in the United States that year. It also operates stores under brand names like Central Market and Mi Tienda.
In 1997, it crossed the border and opened its first Mexican store in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. It operates more than 50 stores in the country now and netted over $1 billion USD there for the first time in 2012.
Like Buc-ee's, H-E-B has its own mascot -- H-E-Buddy, a brown grocery bag full of groceries.
So, it's a big deal. Texas is full of them.
Back in December 2018, Eater contributor Priya Krishna helped explain H-E-B's cult following. She explains that the grocery store has a similar story to other well known chains throughout the country. However, unlike those other companies, H-E-B achieved its massive size by staying put in one state -- plus, expanding into Mexico. Krishna attributes this remarkable success to a tried and true business tactic -- focusing on Texan pride. She states:
"A Texas landmark, known for being a major supply depot during both world wars, it now supplies Texas to Texans, from Whataburger Fancy Ketchup to Takis rolled tortilla chips to Franklin Barbecue sauce... People love Publix subs, crave Trader Joe's snacks, and revere Wegmans' customer service, but H-E-B is a way of life."
She gets it.
That's why Texas Snax is going to start what it's doing with Buc-ee's merchandise. This is particularly true as H-E-B spokesperson Julie Bedingfield told Krishna for her article that H-E-B has no intention to expand outside of Texas and Mexico. So, texpats and Texas fans alike certainly have a need for Texas Snax. We're trying our darndest to get all y'all as much Texas as we can ship.
Now, just like with Buc-ee's, Texas Snax is not affiliated with, endorsed by, nor part of H-E-B or any of its affiliates. We're just super fans who want to help Texans and Texas fans near and far.
Finally, we may not be able to ship warm and fresh Whataburger burgers and fries, but we just might be able to offer Whataburger Ketchup, sauces, pancake mixes, and other items through our H-E-B hauls. Ah... The complete Texas trifecta!