What does it mean to do what you love—and what your father’s father’s father did to make a living? That’s what Marcos Hurtado feels every day when he wakes up early to get to Harwin Drive in Houston, to run Lambo Industries.
Marcos is from Puerto Rico, and his family is Cuban and Spanish. His father’s family in Spain farmed tobacco. For 170 years, they would grow the plant, roll it, and cut it into bushels with a saw.
“We’d put them into bags, a ‘chicken box’, to sell,” he says. The skills were passed down from generation to generation, and when Marcos was young, he got to experience this kind of work.
“I got this influence from my dad. We have this industry in our bloodstream.” And while the products may have evolved, the spirit of hard work and entrepreneurship has remained strong.
“We are enjoying the business; it’s very tough. We work maybe 12 hours a day. Welcome to Lambo Wholesale!”
Riding High in Houston
Lambo is a business that’s riding the wave of growing demand in products like vape devices, e-liquids, disposable vapes, CBD, Delta products, kratom, glassware, supplements, and smoking accessories. Marcos’ company has over 20,000 SKUs, and it’s growing.
“We are doing really well, and we are creating different brands. After years of doing productions for other companies in many countries, I am now swimming like a ‘fish in a tank’ because we’re doing things ourselves, and we’re enjoying it a lot.”
Lambo is in a competitive industry, but Marcos feels confident. In fact, he has started a brand called Underdog. It reflects the spirit of their company, coming from behind to take the lead in a growing field. On Harwin Drive, which is nicknamed The Mahatma Gandhi District (it’s mostly populated by people from India and Pakistan), Marcos is the only Latin-run wholesaler. But he loves the entrepreneurial vibe there and is popular among his neighbors.
Marcos is also proud of his robust inventory, and particularly excited about his line of daiquiri machines and drinks.
“THCA drinks are the bestseller by now, we’re selling so many palettes. Flower is a hot seller too. We’re also selling daiquiris, many different types of potencies and flavors.”
He beamed when describing his bestselling offering.
“We sell a daiquiri machine as a combo. It comes with 12 jugs [each jug is half a gallon of syrup]. The machine is made in the USA, and it pays for itself. The cost of the machine is relatively cheap, and the profit for them is 80%.”
The business is getting bigger every month. Whether it’s flower, gummies, or accessories, Marcos has to hustle to keep everything in stock.
A Strong, Paternal Presence in a Perilous Time
Marcos has a Tevya-in-Fiddler-on-the-Roof build that exudes authority. His whole family works with him—wife, sons, and in-laws. And his interest in the industry is also about making people’s lives better.
“Younger people, over 21, are moving away from alcohol, wanting to avoid that hangover, and enjoy products that elevate them without crashing them.”
But these good intentions and flush times come with a hint of danger.
“Before, it was super easy to work in Texas. But now key people in the government are making trouble because they have a lot of support from the alcohol business. The state legislature passed a bill spearheaded by the Lt. Governor, which would push out our industry. But, fortunately, the governor, Greg Abbot, vetoed it. He [Abbot] knows this is an $8 billion-a-year industry. Ending it would cause a lot of difficulty in the economy.”
Still, it’s a perilous regulatory environment they’re being forced to contend with, and every day he feels like he’s going into battle, trying to keep his business moving forward while staying on the right side of the law.
A Personal Connection
His interest in the industry also hits close to home,
Marcos’ 84-year-old mother-in-law is battling cancer. “She had surgery for one of her breasts, she was on her bed for maybe 3 months, without an appetite. Then I gave her a gummy. After a few hours, she was in front of the fridge looking for food. She now microdoses and recommends gummies to everyone.”
Marcos sees this as a bigger-picture issue, that cannabis products are part of a new, better regime for wellness. His experience with his mother-in-law has been inspiring.
“My mother-in-law tried all sorts of pharma and felt bad, depressed. Now she’s so happy, she has more energy than me. She offers this to all her friends. This segment is growing because people are tired of heavy drugs and switching to gummies or something to smoke. Even trying mushrooms. We have several types of mushrooms that are selling well, like Amanita and Lion’s Mane. A lot of people prefer them instead of pharmaceuticals”.
Big Ambitions and Bigger Moves
“My dream is to go nationwide. We are going to every trade show right now and getting great reception from all our customers. With our brand, Underdogs, we were underestimated by our competitors, and we are trying to become one of the best companies in this industry throughout the whole US. Every day we’re facing new opportunities and taking the good ones.”
So, why Lambo?
“We give the customer A+ service. We have our own brands. The majority of people have other people’s brands; we are one of the first to have distribution with our own brands. If people want to open a new shop, they come to Lambo.”
And when they arrive, they get the kind of service and pride in quality that Marcos and his family have always given their customers—for generations.
