Sad News: Albuquerque Tortilla Gobbled Up

The local Albuquerque Tortilla Company (ATC) that, in my not so humble native New Mexican opinion, made the only store-bought flour tortilla that could be described as something worth eating has been bought out by multinational GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V. (Monterrey, Mexico), sellers of Mission Tortillas. (press release)

It’s entirely possible that GRUMA will change nothing about the tortillas made by its new acquisition. Although they also sell the (in my opinion) inferior Mission Tortillas, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they will stop the ATC brand. If they have both ATC and Mission on the selves, they effectively block competitors from being threats. Personally, I’d rather they use the ATC flour tortilla recipe and manufacturing methods for all their other brands as it is a superior product.

I don’t begrudge the ATC owners their windfall (though $8.8 million seems rather minuscule in this day and age). Founders deserve to have their paydays. I worry about the workers. All too often we see multinationals swoop in, buy a local company, fire the executives, offer to retain workers for lower pay/benefits, and slowly destroy a brand. It’s a very familiar tale. I hope that doesn’t happen here, but the classic signs are certainly there.

What to do if the cherished ATC flour tortillas fade from existence? There isn’t a good replacement apart from homemade. I’ve made tortillas the old-fashioned way (i.e. rolled, not pressed)–trust me, it gets old. But as onerous as it can be, better that than a store-bought product that is wanting. So this is my plea to GRUMA: Don’t take my tortillas away. Please. Por favor!