La Loma Tamales

Their Story

Noelia and Enrique Garcia moved to the United States in 1993, right after getting married in their hometown Quebrantadero, deep in the heart of Mexico. They brought with them a dream and a recipe: a dream to create a new future for themselves in a country filled with possibilities, and a recipe passed down to Noelia from her mother Felipa Vazquez, who made and sold tamales to support her family of eight children.

At first, both Enrique and Noelia worked as full-time cooks at the Minneapolis Athletic Club. Enrique also had a part time job as a cook at the Hotel Sofitel. Even with this exhausting schedule, the Garcias often made tamales for friends’ weddings or other celebrations.

In 1999, the Garcias rented a commercial kitchen and began selling their tamales from a corner space at the Mercado Central on Lake Street. The demand for their hand-made product was immediate, and Enrique and Noelia spent their first two years in business often working 16-hour days, seven days a week. After three months, they were able to hire their first employee.

Today, the Garcias own and manage a commercial kitchen, the coffee shop and a restaurant at the Mercado and a restaurant at the Midtown Global Market. Their tamales can also be found in the frozen-food sections of Lund’s, Byerly’s and selected CUB food stores. These thriving businesses currently provide full-time jobs for nearly 40 individuals earning between $7.50 and $15.00 per hour, many of whom live in South Minneapolis and walk to work.

NDC’s Role

A joint venture of Neighborhood Development Center (NDC), Whittier Community Development Corp and Project for Pride and Living, the Mercado provided the Garcias with an affordable, high-visibility location for their business, in the heart of the growing Latino community in South Minneapolis, and introduced them to NDC’s training and support programs. Enrique completed NDC’s Entrepreneur Training and worked with Rachel Dolan, one of NDC’s business consultants, to develop appropriate product pricing, financing, insurance and payroll systems for their rapidly growing business.

When the Garcias applied for a wholesale license in 2004, they realized there were no rules for the production of tamales. Once again, they worked with NDC’s business and legal consultants to develop appropriate regulations, which have now been adopted by the State of Minnesota. Next, the Garcias hope to expand their wholesale distribution to serve a national market.