Our Story

Our story begins in 1955 with founder Trinidad Garcia. Trinidad, along with her four children, immigrated to the United States from Mexico, eventually settling in East Los Angeles. To provide for her four children as a single mother, Trinidad opened a small Mexican deli off the corner of 1st and Gage St. The deli would sell everything from carnitas to tamales, but eventually became known for the fresh made tortillas and chips; the demand for which eventually exceeded the capacity of the small deli. As such, the decision was made to focus exclusively on making the highest quality tortillas and chips possible. With the help of her son, Ramiro Ortiz, Trinidad was able to establish La Fortaleza in 1975. Since then we have been proudly serving the community traditional, freshly made tortillas and chips based on Trinidad’s original recipe. We proudly honor her legacy by continuing her pursuit of quality for over 50 years.