The 150 year Ortega tradition all started with Maria Conception Jacinta Dominguez Ortega, or as we like to call her, Mama.
In the 1800s, Mama and her beloved family lived in a small three-room adobe home in Ventura, California, common to the Spanish settlements of the time. Inside the thick adobe walls, Mama Ortega created a loving home for her 13 children (yes, 13!) centered around their tiny kitchen.
With a small charcoal-burning stove, Mama Ortega whipped up memorable meals her family loved with homegrown, handpicked and handmade ingredients.
From the juicy red tomatoes for her sauces, to the corn she patted into mouthwatering tortillas, everything Mama lovingly prepared for her family was fresh; every dish was special. And just like today, home-cooked meals were a time for Mama and her family to come together, enjoy good food and entertain each other with stories of their day.
In 1946, the Ortega family sold the business, and the new owners continued to build and modernize the business.
B&G Foods purchased the Ortega brand in 2003 to continue the rich heritage of the Ortega family and a long tradition of commitment to quality. Today, when a family picks up a can of chiles or a box of taco shells, they know they are getting the very best.
By sharing our collection of delicious Mexican recipes, we hope to help you create fond memories of great meals shared with your family. It might be one hundred and fifty years later, but we’re still inspired by Mama’s cooking. We hope you will be too.
