Since it has opened to the market in Ohio City almost six years ago, La Bamba Tortilleria "has done nothing but grow" with a projected sales of $2 million in 2015.

The business was founded by Leticia Ortiz, a Latina who decided to move to Cleveland with her husband, Jose Andrade, in 2000. The story of her business started with her passion of bringing the taste of her native country to Clevelanders.

According to CBC Magazine, Clevelander's market during that time has already been oversaturated with Mexican restaurants. When the couple saw the doors of opportunities in food industry, they decided to work on the plan and turn it into reality as soon as possible.

"Mexican restaurants were growing so fast in the area, so we thought it was better to start the business," Ortiz says.

Starting the project has never been easy. They don't have employees, so they worked hard to developed skills in cutting, production, delivery, packaging, billing, collection and other related transactions of their business on their own. As they personally learn every process, they also get to understand their business deeper and have a clearer view of the aspects of grocery supply.

 "I had to go and visit the first restaurants and bring each one samples. Eventually people just started calling us. As more restaurants started opening they would connect us," says Ortiz.
 
As stated by Fresh Water Cleveland, because of "Ortiz's feet-to-the-pavement marketing and faithful word-of-mouth endorsement," the company slowly gained its popularity that it "has become a go-to source for restaurants including Nuevo Acapulco, West Side Market's Orale!, Don Tequila and El Jalapenos, among many others."

Since the company has been introduced in the market, customers responded in force. In fact, Tortilleria La Bamba's first year's gross income reached $250,000 in sales with only six products including enchiladas, hard taco shells, and tortilla shells cut in half for chips. The business has in no doubt been embraced by the customers and since then has steadily grown.

Today, Bamba sells directly to 70 restaurants in other parts of Pennsylvania and Northeast Ohio while other distributors from Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan are also supplying other restaurants with Ortiz's products. Products are still not available in grocery stores yet but Ortiz says that the company is already working to expand into retail market. She hopes that her products will line the grocery store shelves in the future.