by Laura Steiger, Outreach Team
July 2019
The Tortillas Con Madre family share samples at the Co-op's Annual Party in March 2019.
Tortillas Con Madre is a family affair and Lupita Nava's entire family was present at the event including husband Gerardo Quiroz, son Gerardo Jr., and daughters Valeria and Nicole.
Photos by Matt Curtis, Habiba Sial, and courtesy of Tortillas Con Madre.
Locally Made Tortillas Con Madre:
Delicious tortillas naturally enhanced with omegas 6 & 9 from organic pumpkin oil
Lupita Nava grew up eating freshly made tortillas with every meal. By the age of 13, under the careful tutelage of her grandmother and mother, she was the tortilla maker for her family.
As always, practice makes perfect and in 1995 Lupita and her husband, Gerardo Quiroz, started a corn tortilla business in Monterrey, Mexico, that Lupita’s younger brother still runs.
I wanted to give my family a clean product, GMO-free and free of preservatives and pesticides.
In 1997, after the couple immigrated to Canada and then to the U.S., they often talked about opening another tortilleria.
“When we emigrated to the U.S., I starting making my own tortillas because I wanted to give my family a clean product, GMO-free and free of preservatives and pesticides. It wasn’t until 2016, when I started making my own organic flour tortillas at home, that we seriously considered opening an organic flour tortilla factory," said Lupita.
With the knowledge Gerardo gained from 20+ years working in the organic industry, Lupita started to test different combinations of wheat flours and oils.
the Tortillas Con Madre recipe featuring five simple ingredients: organic artisan wheat flour, water, organic pumpkin oil, sea salt, and non-aluminum baking powder
She determined that pumpkin oil best enhanced the flavor of the wheat flour and developed the Tortillas Con Madre recipe featuring five simple ingredients: organic artisan wheat flour, water, organic pumpkin oil, sea salt, and non-aluminum baking powder.
“I learned that all pumpkins in the world originated in Mexico and felt this recipe, besides being very nutritional, was a bit more authentic Mexican because of the pumpkin seed oil in it,” said Lupita.
Like most small businesses, Tortillas Con Madre is a family affair. “My husband helps me with the operations and the mechanical aspects. He also helps with marketing and USDA compliance. My son, Gerardo Jr., operates equipment during production and cleans and sanitizes it, and my daughters, Valeria and Nicole, help with packing and general cleaning. I manage sales and administration,” said Lupita.
Lupita’s Recipe Tips
“Honestly, I eat Tortillas Con Madre with most of my Mexican dishes, but quesadillas are my favorite.”
For the tastiest results, warm tortillas on a preheated skillet until soft and puffy (as pictured).
Lupita's Favorite Memory
“My favorite memory will always be watching the family work together during production. The satisfaction I get knowing that our Tortillas Con Madre have been made with care, and consumers are taking home a little piece of that and the passion we instill in each tortilla.
“I feel proud to partner with such a passionate community of suppliers and customers. It’s important to understand that buying local creates jobs in our community. Local farmers harvest and mill local grains, local factories manufacture nutritional oils, and a local family helps with baking and packaging this flat bread for the delight of our community. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
