In 1945, arriving from Mexico in search of the American dream, Pedro & Lucy Castro decided to start their own business on the south side of Chicago. They named it La Guadalupana after Our Lady of Guadalupe because of their religious beliefs and cultural background. They specialized in tamales and homemade products using their own traditional recipes.
The products for which La Guadalupana are most well known for are the tamales and masa preparada (the corn meal used to make tamales). Tamales are a part of all Latino family traditions. Latino families take pride in making their own style of tamales. La Guadalupana products have become part of these Latino traditions all around the United States.
In 1992, Rogelio Castro, son of Pedro and Lucy, expanded production to a USDA approved plant to send La Guadalupana products to all customers. In 2015, Rogelio’s son, Alejandro Castro, was named President of the company. He continues to this day to produce the authentic quality products for which La Guadalupana is known.
Growing up, Alejandro Castro’s dream was to become an architect, even though he grew up helping out in the family business, La Guadalupana. His grandparents immigrated from Mexico to Chicago to pursue the American dream. In 1945, they started a bakery, which later became a grocery store and Alejandro’s father, Rogelio, expanded the business into a Mexican food manufacturing company, best known for its traditional tamales and masa for tamales.
Alejandro remembers helping out in all areas of the manufacturing process, but always thinking about his future as an architect. With this in mind, he enrolled in the Illinois Institute of Technology.
One semester of architecture classes was all it took to convince Alejandro that he preferred working with numbers and switched to a major in Accounting and Marketing instead. Though he anticipated opening his own accounting firm after graduation in 1998, he found himself almost immediately taking over La Guadalupana, after his father suffered an injury. Alejandro hasn’t looked back.
Alejandro has taken La Guadalupana in a new path to success since assuming the leadership of the company, including moving away from the grocery store business to focus exclusively on manufacturing, distribution, and a new frozen food line. These initiatives have led La Guadalupana to new levels of growth and more employees that contribute to the region’s economy. Finding his passion as a businessman has been fulfilling, but Alejandro also has found a need to give back through civic involvement, also following his grandparents and father’s example. “My grandparents were so well regarded. I’ve heard stories of them doing things like offering $100 and free groceries to recent immigrants who had nowhere else to turn for help.” Alejandro recalls.