Hispanic Heritage Month: Food Businesses to Celebrate at the Farmers Market

Foodwise Staff
September 18, 2025

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month (running September 15 through October 15, commencing with a number of countries’ independence days), we’ve compiled a list of innovative food businesses owned by people of Latin American heritage that you can support at Foodwise’s farmers markets. From Argentina to Mexico, celebrate these entrepreneurs and the diverse culinary traditions, delicious food, and talent they bring to the San Francisco Bay Area community. Be sure to meet these farms at the farmers market, too.

Kuali Salsa

Wife-and-husband duo Janeen and Rodrigo Cruz started Kuali in 2020 to stay connected to their Mexican heritage and culture. Janeen is the daughter of Mexican immigrants from El Ejido Hermosillo, Baja California, Mexico, and Rodrigo immigrated from Mexico City over 20 years ago. At the farmers market, Kuali offers spicy, crunchy salsa macha, which originated in Veracruz, Mexico. In modern times and across the diaspora, there are many variations of salsa macha, including Kuali’s oil-based recipe that was passed down to Rodrigo from his mother, Mely.

Must-try at the market: Kuali’s award-winning Salsa Macha Clásica with roasted pumpkin seeds, as well as their Salsa Macha de Cacahuate (crushed peanuts) and creamy salsa verde.
Where to find them: Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturdays

Mi Comedor

A participant of La Cocina’s incubator program, chef Olivia Mecalco makes antojitos inspired by her grandmother’s cooking and her memories of Mexico City street food using fresh seasonal ingredients, including handcrafted tacos, burritos, quesadillas, sopes, pambazos, and huaraches, with both vegetarian and meat options.

Must-try at the market: Most of the meat that Olivia uses for tacos, quesadillas, and enchiladas is marinated for days on end. All this goodness is stuffed into tortillas that she makes from scratch!
Where to find them: Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Tuesdays and Thursdays

Norte 54

Among the San Francisco Chronicle’s list of top Bay Area bakeries, Norte 54 offers modern Mexican baked goods focusing on traditional pan dulce (pastries), using seasonal produce and local organic ingredients. Born in Mexico, Raquel Goldman moved to Miami at the age of five, but Mexico remained a formative part of her childhood as she returned every summer to visit her grandmother. After working as a pastry chef at Nopa, she started Norte 54 in 2020 as a pastry box delivery program, while popping up at farmers markets with a rotating menu of creative pan dulce.

Must-try at the market: Try Raquel’s seasonal conchas, novia, garibaldis, tres leches, and other treats using fruit from the farmers market. Don’t miss the chocolate-covered Poli Cake, named for berry farmer Poli at Yerena Farms.
Where to find them: Mission Community Market on Thursdays

Nucha Empanadas

Nilda Bottazzi, nicknamed “Nucha,” grew up making traditional Argentine empanadas, baked and stuffed with simple ingredients. Her great niece, Vanessa, continues Nucha’s legacy and all of the traditions that their family have passed on generation after generation. Nucha’s empanadas, mini-tarts, and quiches are made from scratch with dough using butter (no beef fat) and are stuffed with a variety of fillings.

Must-try at the market: The spicy beef empanadas, which are stuffed with organic ground beef, onions, red and green bell peppers, and chile peppers; or veggie options such as corn and peppers, roasted eggplant, or kale and butternut squash.
Where to find them: Mission Community Market on Thursdays

Painted Leopard

Cousins Claudia Campos and Daniel Ortiz founded Painted Leopard after they were both gifted coffee grown in their family’s hometown, near Monte Cacahuatique in El Salvador. There, coffee grows at 1,400 meters above sea level in volcanic soil. The mountain is also home to a group of farmers called the San Carlos Dos Cooperative, with which Painted Leopard does direct trade before roasting their coffee each week in Oakland.

Must-try at the market: Take home coffee grounds made from a harvest grown in volcanic soil, knowing that a portion of your proceeds is used to buy directly from farmers in El Salvador.
Where to find them: Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturdays

Tonantzin Mexican Cuisine

Both Amalia and Saul Avenado were born in Mexico City. Before moving to the US, they both had over 25 years of experience as chefs in several restaurants in Mexico City. As a couple, they built Tonantzin as a way to bring culinary traditions from their Mexican roots to the Bay Area, working with La Cocina’s Food Business Incubator Program to launch their business. Their dishes focus on Chilango and Oaxacan classics like tlayudas Oaxaqueñas, quesabirrias, and more.

Must try at the market: Pick up one of their tamal dulces, made with strawberries from Yerena Farms.
Where to find them: Mission Community Market on Thursdays

Three Babes Bakeshop

Growing up in the Central Valley, Lenore Estrada and her friend Anna Derivi-Castellanos baked pies to give away to their friends. Years later, they started a pie-making business together with the goal of supporting local farms (Anna has since left the business). Three Babes’ pies are made by hand each day using the finest local, seasonal, and organic ingredients.

Must-try at the market: Look for rotating seasonal treats like Emerald Beaut Plum Raspberry Crumble.
Where to find them: Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturdays

Tutuli Mexican Bakery

During the height of the pandemic, Sofia Jimenez made her first batch of guava-filled coyotas (a traditional pastry from Sonora, Mexico) as a fundraiser to help her start a nonprofit offering free meals to her community. Using her grandmother’s recipes, she sold coyotas to everyone who would buy them. Sofia then worked with Mandela Partners to launch her business and gain access to more sales opportunities in local farmers markets, including the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Tutuli Mexican Bakery is still an active participant in a variety of local fundraising efforts. 

Must-try at the market: Sweet cornbread and seasonal coyotas, often filled with fruit from Sofia’s own trees and from Ferry Plaza farmers.
Where to find them: Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturdays

Pop-Ups from La Cocina

Through the Building Equity program, Foodwise partners with the nonprofit business incubator La Cocina to provide pop-up opportunities for small food entrepreneurs at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market each month. La Cocina (“the kitchen” in Spanish) serves as a platform for low-income and immigrant culinary entrepreneurs by providing affordable commercial kitchen space, technical assistance, and access to market opportunities and capital. Participants represent diverse backgrounds from all over the world, and in recent months, Latine-owned businesses Dulce Maná (Colombian), Pass the Sauced (Nicaraguan), and De La Creamery (Mexican) have had month-long residencies at the farmers market.

Where to find them: Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturdays; subscribe to the Foodwise e-letter to hear about future pop-ups

Latine-Influenced Food Businesses

Asúkar Palestinian-Cuban Fusion

San Francisco native Nikki Garcia was raised by Palestinian parents. After meeting her husband, who was from Cuba, she discovered that she wasn’t accustomed to making the dishes that were familiar to him. As her cooking skills developed, she came to understand how Palestinian and Cuban flavors mesh well together and launched a food business concept with support from Oakland Bloom. At the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, Asúkar offers empanadas, traditional Palestinian teas, and other quick and easy Palestinian-Cuban foods.

Must-try at the market: Asúkar offers savory empanadas made with sumac chicken, za’atar oyster mushrooms, and more.
Where to find them: Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Tuesdays

Primavera

Owner Karen Taylor Waikiki started Primavera in 1991 after years of working as the chef at a Mexican restaurant in Sonoma. Maurilia Pineda is the kitchen manager, overseeing the team. All of Primavera’s products are made by hand in their commercial kitchen in Sonoma, and the recipes are developed with Primavera’s staff, all of whom are Latino immigrants hailing from different parts of Mexico. Corn masa (the main ingredient in tortillas and tamales) is made both fresh from dried corn and from pre-ground corn flour. 

Must-try at the market: Primavera’s famous chilaquiles is a cult brunch favorite. Arrive early to avoid the lines.
Where to find them: Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturdays

Topics: Culinary, Local, Prepared foods