Gustavo Dueñas

Partner / Director of Business Development

Gustavo was exposed to the restaurant industry early in his life in his native Guadalajara, Mexico. His grandfather, a retired Argentine professional soccer player, founded La Estancia Gaucha back in the early 90s, a restaurant that incorporated Mexican flavors with Argentinian cuisine that is still a staple in Guadalajara's restaurant scene.
Gustavo grew up playing basketball and represented his state at several national competitions as a teen. He was later selected to be part of the Mexican National team and had the opportunity to represent his country in several international tournaments. During one of those competitions, he was offered a scholarship to play basketball at Universidad De Las Americas (UDLA) in Puebla Mexico, where he graduated with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management.
After graduating from UDLA, he worked in the consumer packaged goods industry for most of his professional career. He was a Brand Manager for Bimbo Group and Ricolino, two of the most iconic food brands in Mexico.  In 2008, he moved to Illinois with his wife, where he joined Mexilink, a master distributor for Hispanic items in the USA. He oversaw the retail and wholesale business in the Midwest, managing a portfolio of several important Mexican brands like Tajin and Dolores.
In 2010, he joined Barcel USA, a subsidiary of Bimbo Group, where he spearheaded the development of National and Regional accounts for the Midwest and West Coast. By 2011, he was calling on some of the major National accounts like Safeway and Save A Lot.  The introduction of Barcel (Takis) to National accounts helped the brand explode and become what it is today.
In 2014 he was hired by Kelloggs, where he managed Northern Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota for the cereal category.  He implemented marketing strategies and worked with his team to gain shares and displays in close to 1,000 stores.
Gustavo became a partner in 2019. His experience in marketing and business development will help Bien Trucha Group open new opportunities for branding and retail exposure