Heartbest Foods

About Heartbest Foods

Heartbest Foods started in 2017 with a clear idea: make plant based food that feels healthy, useful, and easy to choose. The company works with ingredients like amaranth, peas, and quinoa to create milks, cheeses, and spreads made without animal products. The goal was not to make food that sounded fancy and scared people away. It was to make better options for people who care about health, sustainability, and animal welfare. Food with purpose, but without acting like it needs its own red carpet.

The company was founded by Aniceto and Aldo, a father and son team with experience, vision, and a strong wish to build something that mattered. As Heartbest grew, quality had to show up in more than the product. It also had to show up inside the company. The way people were paid. The way information was managed. The way the People team worked each month. Payroll may not be the shiny part of the business, but it matters a lot. It is like the base of a table. Nobody talks about it until it starts wobbling.

What challenges were they facing when managing team payments?

One of the biggest changes for Heartbest came when the company decided to bring payroll in house. That sounds simple on paper. In real life, it meant building a process that was fast, accurate, and clear for everyone. The goal was not just to stop using a third party. The goal was to make payroll stronger for the next stage of growth. At the time, many payroll tasks were still manual. That took time, created extra steps, and made mistakes more likely. As the company grew, the old process started to feel too tight. Like trying to fit a full grocery shop into one tiny bag.

The team needed one place for information, a simpler way to run payroll, and better visibility at every step. For a company that values trust, the change had to feel steady. Employees needed clarity. The People team needed control. And the business needed a process that worked without turning every pay cycle into a small puzzle with missing pieces.

In what areas has Runa strengthened their People operation?

Runa changed how Heartbest manages payroll and People processes. By putting information in one platform, the company automated tasks that used to take hours by hand. That made payroll faster and reduced admin work. The team can now see more clearly what is happening in each cycle, manage employee information, process payments, and keep records up to date without leaning so much on manual steps. IMSS related tasks also became easier to manage, which helped remove extra steps from important admin work. Runa’s support during the transition also made the move feel less heavy.

As Erika Guzmán explains, “It gave us great peace of mind to know that we are not alone; there is always someone supporting us and explaining each step clearly.” Employees also gained more control. They can now check payroll receipts, request vacations, and update personal information directly in the platform. No need to send another email and hope it lands in the right inbox. That reduced friction, improved communication, and helped keep the people centered culture that Heartbest cares about.

Why was Runa the tool chosen by Heartbest Foods?

For Heartbest Foods, choosing Runa was not just about finding payroll software. The company needed a partner that understood its culture, could support its growth, and could guide the team during the move to in house payroll. Trust was a big part of the decision. The team wanted payroll to feel more professional without making it cold or hard to use. Runa gave them automation, visibility, and close support in a way that matched how Heartbest works.

The platform helped with more than payroll. It strengthened a part of the business that became more important as the company grew. Today, payroll is no longer a monthly worry sitting in the corner. It is clearer, steadier, and easier to trust. With that base in place, Heartbest can focus on product innovation, team growth, and bringing high quality plant based food to more people, while knowing its People operation can grow with the business instead of shaking like jelly on a plate.