Snac World - November 2017 - 20

Traditional Roots,
Innovative Future
BY LILY WACHTOR

nita's Mexican Foods Corp. is a true testament of hard work, entrepreneurial spirit
and the fulfillment of the American dream.
In 1952, a young Mauro Robles left his home in Mexico
to work on American railroad yards under the Bracero
Program. After earning citizenship in the 1950s and
settling in southern California, Mr. Robles realized
only one thing was missing: the tastes and flavors of
his native home. Equipped with ambition and $5,000
in savings, Mr. Robles opened La Reina, Inc., a small
tortilla business on May 4, 1958, in a small storefront in
east Los Angeles.
As business prospered, and a growing number of
consumers were exploring exotic flavors and textures,
the Robles family acquired Anita's Mexican Foods
in 1978, a San Bernardino-based tortilla company.
Anita's continued to expand and proved to be on the
forefront of major innovation. In 1987, the company
pioneered an untapped niche for healthier, gluten-free
corn-based products, introducing organic blue, white
and yellow corn-based items and exclusively using
suppliers that offered GMO-free corn.
Through rapid growth and development, Anita's
remains dedicated to its family lineage, long-time employees and quality service. "Like any family-run business spanning nearly 60 years, there have been many
ups and downs," said Mauro Gomez, vice-president,
sales and marketing, Anita's Mexican Foods. "Through

SNAC World

November 2017

www.snacintl.org

all our challenges and opportunities, we constantly
look deep into our mission and vision and ask how our
choices and decisions will not only affect the business
we operate but also the employees we work with dayin and day-out."
In 2014, Anita's received California's US Small Business Persons of the Year award for growing company
revenues more than 100% over the prior three years
and expanding its workforce to more than 360 employees. Anita's was also the runner-up for the national
US Small Business Persons of 2014 award.
While the company is recognized for its growth, innovation and loyalty among its employees, the same
could be said about their co-manufacturing base. Many
of the company's private-label items are sold to retailers
including national, organic and specialty stores.
"As a co-pack and private-label manufacturer, much
of our work centers on the ability to create and customize original products," Mr. Gomez said. "Our company
made a conscious decision more than 20 years ago to
not compete with our partners but focus on our core
competencies of quality and innovation. In today's marketplace, we are primed for the major trends leading
the way: smaller portion sizes and unique flavors."
What originally began as a flour tortilla manufacturer has grown into three divisions: Anita's Snacks, La
Reina and La Tolteca, a regional tortilla manufacturer
on the central coast of California. Anita's currently

http://www.snacintl.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Snac World - November 2017