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In 1955 my grandmother Trinidad Garcia and her four children left their home country of Mexico in search of a better life in the United States. Like many immigrants before her, she had a dream, which was to make a better life for her children. Settling in Los Angeles, she and my father Ramiro Ortiz Sr., the oldest of the children worked odd jobs to make ends meet. Although she worked very hard, my grandmother would say that having her family together made it all worth it.
Through careful planning and saving my grandmother and my father opened their first business in 1970. They opened a Mexican deli, which offered freshly made tortillas as one of their specialties. Although the business was successful, the demand for tortillas was evident. In 1975 my grandmother retired and that same year my father closed the deli and founded La Fortaleza.
La Fortaleza stands for strength, fortitude, determination and perseverance. It is the strength my grandmother had when she left her home country to make a better life for her family. It is my father's determination to keep that dream alive for his children and future generations. It is my mother's fortitude as she dutifully raised eight children while she helped with the business. It is the perseverance of our heritage.
What does La Fortaleza mean to us? It means family.
-Ramiro Ortiz Jr., CEO
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