The Abridged version:
- Mi Rancho, one of the United States’ largest tortilla producers, is based in Elk Grove.
- The factory produces 7 million to 8 million tortillas per day, nixtamalizing the corn in-house.
- Mi Rancho also creates bespoke tortillas and other items for local restaurants such as Zócalo.
Mi Rancho’s story begins with a line out the door in Oakland in 1939, and rests now in a 155,000-square foot factory in Elk Grove. What started as the only Mexican grocery store in the East Bay city grew into a nationwide household name, still family-owned and committed to tradition despite its larger scale.
Over the decades, Mi Rancho grew steadily as demand spread beyond Oakland into the wider Bay Area and Northern California. The company eventually moved its operations to San Leandro before outgrowing that facility as well, and opening the new Elk Grove headquarters in a former Bimbo Bakery plant in 2021.
The larger, more modern Elk Grove plant has helped Mi Rancho expand production while keeping close to its Northern California roots. The once-humble tortillería now has organic and gluten-free lines, tortilla chips, salsas and restaurant-style products. Mi Rancho employs about 200 people today, producing an estimated 7 million to 8 million tortillas each day.
Its products are available nationwide, appearing in grocery retailers and restaurants across the country, including major chains such as Whole Foods, Costco and Safeway. The scale underscores how far the company has come since 1939, when it was a neighborhood store with only a handful of employees.
“We’ve never strayed from the care my family started with back in Oakland,” said Alex Berber, Mi Rancho’s vice president of sales and marketing. “When people pick up Mi Rancho tortillas, they’re not just buying food; they’re bringing home a piece of our heritage and our promise of quality.”
Humble roots to national growth
Mi Rancho’s story starts with Ofelia “Mama Ofi” Berber, whose tortillas and chile verde drew crowds across Oakland and helped shape Mi Rancho’s early reputation with tortillas and chile verde. Josefina Samaniego, one of the store’s earliest employees, worked alongside Mama Ofi and preserved recipes that now inform Mi Rancho’s salsa line.
Berber’s son Manuel later led the transition from grocery store to full tortilla manufacturer and continues as president today. Today, Manuel’s sons Alex and Andrew (Mi Rancho’s business development manager) represent the third generation of Berbers guiding the company from its Elk Grove headquarters, extending a family legacy that began 86 years ago.
That commitment to tradition was recognized locally earlier this month. On Sept. 10, the Elk Grove City Council issued a proclamation honoring Manuel Berber during Hispanic Heritage Month. The recognition reflected both his leadership and the company’s deep connection to the community it now calls home.
Masa preparation key to authenticity
Part of what keeps Mi Rancho connected to its roots is how it prepares its masa. Unlike many large-scale producers that rely on pre-processed corn flour, Mi Rancho still nixtamalizes whole kernels of corn in-house each day, cooking and steeping them before stone-grinding. It’s a slower process, but one that preserves the authentic flavor, aroma, and texture of traditional tortillas while honoring a practice central to Mexican cooking for centuries.
“I wish people could see the level of detail and care that goes into every single tortilla,” Alex Berber said. “It starts with sourcing the right corn, carefully cooking it and stone-grinding it the same way our family did decades ago, but now at a scale that allows us to feed families across the country. Behind every tortilla is a team of people who are passionate about keeping the authenticity intact, even as we run a modern operation.”
Special products for Sacramento restaurants
Mi Rancho’s base in Elk Grove also anchors it in the wider Sacramento dining scene, where its tortillas appear everywhere from fast-casual restaurants to modern Mexican spots. This October, residents will get an even closer look during a planned food tour featuring dishes at partner restaurants including Jimboy’s Tacos, Dos Coyotes Border Cafe and Zócalo.
At Zócalo, the partnership runs especially deep. Mi Rancho makes a custom tortilla for the restaurant using a corn and flour blend, a detail that sets those tortillas apart from anything sold in stores.
Gabriel Rodriguez, Zócalo’s director of operations, said the collaboration has lasted more than a decade and now extends across the menu. As Zócalo has expanded to four area locations, Mi Rancho has been along for the ride.
“Pretty much every tortilla, chip or tostada we serve comes from Mi Rancho,” Rodriguez said. “What’s kept us with them all these years is the quality, the consistency and the relationship we’ve built.”
Innovation continues to guide the family’s plans for the future. New organic tostadas and expanded chip offerings are in development, paired with sustainability initiatives focused on reducing waste and supporting local farmers.
“What excites me is that even after 85 years, there’s still so much possibility,” Alex Berber said. “For me, it’s about honoring the roots of what my family built while looking ahead to how we can keep making an impact for the next generation of customers.”
Keyla Vasconcellos is a Sacramento-based freelance journalist.