Today we’d like to introduce you to Valerie Gonzalez
Hi Valerie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
A $500 dollar loan made it possible for me and my (then) husband to begin a full-time, year round business based on our family holiday tradition of making tamales! 2025 will mark the 45th year Delicious Tamales has been in business with 6 locations in San Antonio and two in Austin (1931 E. Oltorf in 2021 and 1700 W. Parmer in 2023). My daughter, Herlinda-Lopez-Woods, is now the co-owner who will continue to expand our business. We’ve been shipping tamales nationwide for more than 20 years. In 2023 we added other authentic Mexican dishes to our shipping menu which already included 14 flavors of tamales. We, employee 40 people, and have the capacity in our 30,000 square foot state-inspected kitchen, to produce about 70 dozen tamales every 2 minutes. We are proud to provide an authentic Mexican culinary experience to so many people!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Starting a small “mom and pop” business anywhere at anytime in history is a challenge. Securing funding, finding a location, managing growth, building a brand name, are the usual hurdles to any entrepreneurial effort. Add to that a divorce (I bought my ex-husband out of the business in 2006) and introducing our product to more customers (you’d be surprised to learn how many people are new to Texas and haven’t ever tasted a tamale. And, yes, a few have to be instructed to remove the corn husk before eating!). Yet the biggest obstacles were those that we couldn’t change AND that we believe fortified our fight to succeed: being women and being Mexican! We believe in ourselves and in our product and have the support of our family – many of whom work with us still today!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Delicious Tamales?
Delicious Tamales began on a small scale with a $500 loan to make and sell tamales during the holidays. It has since expanded to a year-round, 14 flavor operation. We produce approximately 3,ooo dozens of tamales daily in our San Antonio kitchen and have been shipping nationwide for 20 years. I’m one of 7 siblings who grew up in Laredo, TX in a traditional Mexican-American family which emphasized education and hard work. My siblings and I all graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and I believe our company’s dedication to producing an authentic product is the key to success. I’m proud of my daughter, Herlinda Lopez-Woods, who is leading the companies successful expansion. I’m also proud of our employees, who are like family members. We are excited to continue introducing a Mexican dish to new customers beyond Texas.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Launching Delicious Tamales 45 years ago was a risk. And every step of expansion since then has come with additional risks!! Adding other flavors (13 and growing) beyond the traditional pork filling; investing in the equipment and creating a process to scale-up production in oder to meet nationwide shipping demand, and most recently taking the risk to open two locations in Austin. However, we face each “risk” with market research and belief in ourselves and the product we sell.
Pricing:
- tamales per dozen are $11.85 in San Antonio
- tamales per dozen are $13.85 in Austin (to make up for delivery costs)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://delicioustamales.com
- Instagram: @delicioustamalestx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delicioustamalestx
Image Credits
Courtesy Delicious Tamales Inc.
