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

Foodwise Staff
September 13, 2024

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: The seasonal vegetarian quesadilla. In the summer months, this includes squash blossoms and sautéed onions, topped with a Mexican crema and a spicy, homemade salsa roja. All this goodness is stuffed into tortillas that Olivia 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, or order online.

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: Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Tuesdays and Mission Community Market on Thursdays or order online.

Proyecto Diaz Coffee

Though Proyecto Diaz Coffee started roasting in 2014, the Diaz family’s history stretches back to the early 1900s, when Fernando Diaz’s great-grandfather began growing coffee in Oaxaca, Mexico. That legacy persists today: Fernando’s grandfather Juan continues to grow coffee on his farm, El Carmen; his father, Genaro, roasts the coffee; his wife, Hannah-Love, does production and design; and Fernando does outreach and coffee selection. The company sources directly from small coffee farms, buying at above fair-trade prices.
Must-try at the market: The family’s signature bean is El Carmen, a single-origin light roast that offers notes of dried apricot, honeysuckle, and fig. A portion of the profit is reinvested back into the family farm in Mexico.
Where to find them: Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays; their cafe at 1416 20th St., Oakland; or order online.

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 or order online.

Tonantzin and Other Businesses at 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 Pacifico (Columbian/Peruvian), Tilin Tilin (Panamanian), and Adelita’s Antojitos (Salvadoran and Mexican) have had month-long residencies at the farmers market.
Must-try at the market: For the month of September, Tonantzin will be popping up at the La Cocina booth to offer Chilango (Mexico City) and Oaxacan dishes such as birria, tamales, and calabacitas.
Where to find them: Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturdays; subscribe to the Foodwise e-letter to hear about future pop-ups.

Café con Cariño and Asúkar at Oakland Bloom

Also popping up at Foodwise farmers markets through the Building Equity program, Oakland Bloom is a nonprofit with a focus on providing training and opportunities for Bay Area immigrant, refugee, and BIPOC food entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds. Oakland Bloom’s flagship offering is their year-long Open Test Kitchen (OTK) food business incubator program, and they recently opened a restaurant in Oakland. Oakland Bloom entrepreneurs pop up on a rotating basis at the Mission Community Market.
Must-try at the market: Currently you can try  Café con Cariño’s café de olla cold brew and Quesadilla Salvadoreña, and  Asúkar’s Palestinian Cuban fusion offerings such as spice blends and empanadas.
Where to find them: Mission Community Market on Thursdays; subscribe to the Foodwise e-letter to hear about future pop-ups.

Latinx-Influenced Food Businesses

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