“It’s a convenience for the people of the mining district,” Delia says. Although the business has diversified through the years to meet market demand as well as community need, it all began with tortillas, which is a subject the partners know well. While still in high school Joe worked as a tortilla salesman for a Las Cruces company that employed his father. In 1972 his parents started Fiesta Tortillas in Alamogordo, selling it in 1980. After Joe graduated from NMSU in 1981, he acquired an interest in Mi Ranchito Foods, Inc., a tortilla producer established in Santa Clara – then called Central – in the 1940’s. Delia came to work for Joe soon after. Paul was a driver and salesman for Mi Ranchito while attending college between 1982 and 1986, before spending ten years at Phelps-Dodge. Joe
obtained sole ownership of Mi Ranchito in 1993, with Paul and Delia coming in as partners in 1999. “To be honest,” Joe says, “I came here to build up the company, sell it, turn a profit and move on. After 25 years, I’m still here. I like the area and the relaxed attitude of the people.” The family-oriented business includes Paul and Delia’s older sons and daughter-in-law, and even their nine-year-old son David, who comes in occasionally to ‘boss’ the operation. Paul Cabrera, Jr. operates, maintains and supervises the corn production area, and Gabriel Cabrera does the same with the flour production area. Both brothers also make sales and deliveries. Paul Jr.’s wife Micaela helps with tamale production and works as a receptionist in the front office. www.ziapublishing.com – 51