Manufacturing & exporting tradition and spice and everything nice
El Popular, located in East Chicago, Indiana, is the oldest contiguous Mexican American-owned & operated family business in the United States. The company specializes in manufacturing meat products and other Mexican specialties like mole sauce and chocolate and is best known for their chorizo – which can be found in all markets across the United States - and in Canada, Mexico, and parts of Southeast Asia. El Popular is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and has also won the SBA Indiana & Great Lakes Region Exporter of the Year Awards.
Edward Garza (Owner): “Bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. is crucial to economic strength and job creation. Cutting back on redundant and unnecessary regulations? Well, that’s a godsend! Small businesses want to expand, want to do more, but trying to do so is frustrating when you’re constantly wading through red tape and conflicting directions. Companies can’t grow efficiently when there are roadblocks.”
Mission Statement: Higher Standards, unmatched quality and close to a century of satisfied customers
AT-A-GLANCE: El Popular was founded in 1925 by Edward’s grandfather, Vicente F. Garza who brought an entrepreneurial spirit along with the family recipes from Mexico to East Chicago. Edward took over the family business in 2002 and transformed the business model to manufacturing streamlining product lines focusing on efficiency and quality. To achieve his goals, Edward works closely with the Northwest Indiana SBDC, who have connected him with valuable resources and networks helping him to achieve critical MBE and SQF certifications and introducing him to exporting assistance. Edward is a 2022 graduate of the Export Indiana Accelerator Program and has earmarked SBA-backed IN-STEP funds to pay for trade shows allowing him to expand his exporting efforts outside of the North American continent. El Popular employs 24 at their East Chicago manufacturing facility and hopes to double that number with a manufacturing facility expansion in nearby Portage in the coming years.