Every business’s story begins somewhere. For me, the story begins with my Nana’s tortillas. 

My name is Abel Ramos, and I just turned 12 years old. And, ever since I can remember, the smell of those tortillas has been my favorite thing in the world. 

I grew up with those tortillas. It’s a big part of my culture. It's hard for me to imagine my life without them.

When my Nana told me I was going to learn about entrepreneurship and start my own business last summer, I knew right away what I wanted to do. I wanted to share those delicious tortillas with the world.

Every day that summer, my Nana and I spent hours preparing and cooking tortillas.

Then I met Don Guerra of Barrio Bread, and he invited me to sell my tortillas at his shop. We sold out within a half-hour on the first day. 

Chef Abel's Tortillas was just supposed to be a summer project. But, by the time summer was over, it had turned into a thriving small business! The money was going to my college fund, but it was also raising money for a cause that is close to my heart: prostate cancer awareness.

You see, my Tata was battling stage 4 prostate cancer and I had accepted a challenge from the Prostate Cancer Foundation to raise money for research and awareness. Then, our local news station picked up the story about my tortillas and the cause. Soon, the demand for my tortillas was too much to handle, so we limited the retailers carrying my tortillas. We had to turn away many orders. 

When it was time to head back to school, we were having too much fun to stop. It had also become my Tata's will to live and his inspiration to keep fighting. So I decided to keep making tortillas. 

That was a year ago. My Tata has since passed away, and I made a commitment to him to carry the business forward. 

Today, you can find my tortillas at Food Conspiracy Co-Op, Barrio Bread, Tucson Tamale Company, 5 Points Market & Restaurant, and Tucson CSA. 

The tortillas, which currently come in 4-inch, 6-inch, and 8-inch sizes, are perfect for everything from tacos to cheese crisps to afternoon snacks.

So, what’s so different about my tortillas?

If you’re like most people, most of the tortillas you’ve eaten have probably been made and cooked by a machine with preservatives to make them last longer. If that's the case, then one bite of my handmade tortillas will show you what you've been missing. These aren't like any tortillas you've ever tasted! 

There’s a reason for that. The heirloom tortilla recipe was handed down by my great-great grandmother, who was making tortillas in Southern Arizona in the late 1800s. She lived in Santa Cruz County, the birthplace of the modern-day flour tortilla.

Like my great-great grandmother, I use locally grown white Sonora heritage wheat to make the heirloom tortillas. This wheat was first brought to Arizona hundreds of years ago by Father Kino, making it the oldest wheat in the Americas. Why do I use it? Because it’s the original grain used to make the first flour tortilla, and because it has a unique flavor that no other flour has.

There's one difference, though. When my Tata was undergoing treatment for his prostate cancer, he switched to a vegan diet. That inspired my Nana and I to update our recipe to make the tortillas as nutritious as possible and vegan, so everybody can enjoy them. 

My tortillas' ingredients couldn’t be simpler: Along with the heritage wheat, they’re made with filtered water, natural solar dried Sea of Cortez salt, and pure avocado oil.

I have worked to research and perfect my family heirloom recipe, so that everyone can enjoy the tortillas I make. I have loved to make tortillas since I was six years old. I believe that my customers can feel the history, joy, and passion that I have in making these tortillas, and that is why they keep coming back for more. 

I am committed to using ingredients that are 100% clean, unrefined, pure, and mostly local. My tortillas will never contain artificial flavors or preservatives of any kind. They will never be made with weird chemical stabilizers or low-quality ingredients. They will always be tortillas that my family can be proud of.

What Do I Need Help With? 

I have already been able to bring my tortillas to so many people in Tucson. But now, I want to grow my business. I want to be able to keep up with the current orders and for even more people throughout Arizona to be able to enjoy the taste of my handmade tortillas. Taking a cue from my mentor, Don Guerra of Barrio Bread, a little tortilla factory is being built in my Nana’s garage.

But in order for me to complete it, I need to buy commercial equipment. I’m hoping to be able to triple the number of tortillas my Nana and I can make in a day, so we can get my tortillas into more local stores, to all of Arizona—and onto more plates!

I need commercial equipment to put in my new kitchen space: 

• A large commercial mixer so I can make bigger batches of tortillas. Nana’s KitchenAid worked great to begin with, but now it’s too small for my needs. 
• A large flat-top griddle so I can cook more and bigger tortillas. I think I have killed Nana’s stove! 
• And the most time-saving piece of equipment I need is a dough cutter and rounder. It takes forever to make and weigh each dough ball by hand! 

Your help will get me back to making the tortillas you already love faster, and give me time to do my schoolwork. With our brand-new kitchen equipment, we will be able to make many, many more tortillas—and make many, many more people happy! 

I want you to join me on this adventure. With your help, I can take my little company to the next level, and introduce my tortillas to more stores, more restaurants, and more dining room tables. I can also honor my Tata, who inspired me to keep going with my business. 

The story of Chef Abel’s Tortillas is already hundreds of years old. Would you like to become a part of the next chapter?