SAN LEANDRO, Calif. — Mi Rancho® (www.mirancho.com), the Bay Area innovator in the production and global distribution of premium tortillas and Mexican foods, has launched a new line of non-GMO tortillas to complement its current authentic and organic tortilla products. There are three new Mi Rancho non-GMO tortillas hitting grocery shelves this month – the Non-GMO Soft Taco Flour Tortilla, the Non-GMO White Corn Tortilla, and the Non-GMO Cornflowers Tortilla, a new formulation made from using a hybrid corn-wheat flour.
All of Mi Rancho’s non-GMO tortillas have been certified by the Non-GMO Project which maintains the standard for measuring the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food. The Non-GMO Project butterfly seal represents transparency and trust for manufacturers, retailers, and shoppers. The number of products that apply for the Non-GMO Project butterfly seal continue to grow at a rate of 15 to 20 percent per year, and consumer demand is growing at nine percent. According to a recent study by the Hartman Group, 46 percent of shoppers actively avoid bioengineered foods so more consumers are seeking out products with the Non-GMO Project butterfly.
To deliver tortillas that are made without using genetically engineered ingredients requires close control over end-to-end production, especially suppliers. Since ingredients such as corn are considered high risk for genetic modifications, Mi Rancho works closely with suppliers to ensure appropriate ingredient sourcing and growing practices, prior to tortilla production. The Non-GMO Project has rigorous guidelines at each step of supply and manufacturing, and to receive their seal proving non-GMO verification, vendors must be recertified annually. Mi Rancho has already been delivering some of these same non-GMO verified products to its industrial and food service customers and is now offering those same tortillas for consumers.
“Adding these new Non-GMO tortillas to Mi Rancho’s product line is part of our commitment to keep pace with food industry innovations while staying true to our commitment to quality and time-honored production techniques we have perfected over the last 80 years,” said Manuel Berber, President of Mi Rancho. “Consumers shop for brands they trust, and adding non-GMO verification gives customers another reason to trust Mi Rancho for the best quality as well as the best taste in tortillas.”
Mi Rancho has been manufacturing tortillas using age-old techniques and a farm-to-table philosophy for the past 80 years. The company uses non-GMO California-grown corn and prepares it using an ancient Aztec process call nixtamalization, where the corn is cooked in water and lime and steeped for eight to 10 hours. The masa used to make the tortillas is ground using hand-carved lava stones, just as tortillas have been produced for centuries. Mi Rancho combines old world authenticity and new world innovation, such as non-GMO manufacturing and innovative formulations like their new Cornflowers tortillas.
The new Mi Rancho Non-GMO Tortillas initially will be available through regional grocery outlets such as Gelson’s, Jimbo’s, Lassens, Mollie Stones, Naturally, Nugget Markets, Natural Grocers in the Pacific Northwest, Safeway in Northern California, and select independent grocers.
About Mi Rancho
Now celebrating its 80th anniversary, Mi Rancho® is an innovator in the specialty foods market specializing in tortillas and Mexican food products. Founded as a family-run Mexican bakery and grocery store in Oakland in 1939, Mi Rancho started to expand in the 1950s, providing tortillas to local restaurants. Today the company remains family owned and operated by the third generation of the Berber family, with plans of succession to the fourth generation currently working within the company. Mi Rancho produces 4.5 million tortillas each day or 1.3 billion tortillas each year, serving various segments including foodservice, retail, industrial, and international. Despite Mi Rancho’s growth, the company is still operated with a passion for excellence and a commitment to produce the best quality tortillas made from local California ingredients.
For more information, visit Mi Rancho on the web at www.mirancho.com.
