Profile | Ensenada Markets
Ensenada Markets is being recognized as a company that has Survived and Thrived. Hispanic Lifestyle is recognizing Ensenada Markets and other Latino Businesses on May 31, 2017 at our annual SoCal Business Expo and Conference to be held at the Ontario Airport Hotel and Conference Center, Ontario, California
Year Started | Opened it’s first retail store in Nov. 1987, La Puente, CA
A true American immigrant dream is realized in telling the story of Ensenada Markets. Alberto & Sara Segura, dared to cross the U.S./MX border with a grand idea to work hard for only two years, save money, and return to open a small retail shop in their native town of Ensenada, Baja CA, MX. Alberto learned the grocery trade as a poor youth, taking an entry level box-boy job in a local Ensenada grocery store and working his way up to a book keeper position. The newly immigrated couple arrived in the housing projects of East L.A. in the 70’s with one child and then relocated their young family to Pomona, CA, where they eventually raised a family of five daughters. Alberto worked arduously for the next decade and a half at an aluminum factory job, while Sara took care of the housekeeping and managed a part time instructional aide job at the local elementary school. The Seguras never lost sight of their savings & entrepreneurial goal, and in 1987, their dream became a reality when they acquired a small dilapidated deli shop in La Puente, CA. As their daughters matured and gradually assisted their parents in the business, the business grew into a professional corporation in 1993, named Hispanic Grocers, Inc., encompassing three retail stores, two in L.A county and the third store in Orange County, and a separate corporate warehouse office in the City of Industry.
For almost three decades now, the Segura family business established an important foundation of honesty, quality, and great customer service that made shopping at Ensenada Markets a true signature experience.
About their Nomination
Ensenada Markets is a cornerstone symbol of family values, helping to cultivate friendly neighborhoods where ever their retail stores are located, and serving to unite families around great tasting Mexican comfort foods like carne asada, carnitas, chicharrones, pan dulce, and fresh unique produce such as nopales. In addition to a variety of familiar Mexican food favorites, the retail stores provide convenient check cashing and money wire services, all integrated into one retail location.
Moreover, Ensenada Markets has been a proud supporter of community programs, scholarships, and civic activities that benefit families and children in the immediate areas of its retail stores’ outreach. Each year, Ensenada Markets actively donates to educational and local charitable organizations that promote and sustain overall community wellness. Also, Ensenada Markets employs many committed individuals who retain long standing jobs and contribute to a sustainable local economy, while possibly being the only income for extended families the employees may have left behind in their native countries.
In conclusion, we believe the humble persevering story of this Mexican immigrant family deserves the recognition of the award for “Surviving & Thriving” to shine a spotlight on a united family business and strengthen as a whole, a growing Hispanic community’s demand for more culturally sensitive businesses like Ensenada Markets, that produce great tasting authentic foods & maintain honesty as a guiding core value of their services.
