La Morena
La Morena is a 100% Mexican, privately held canned-food manufacturer founded in 1970, producing traditional chiles, salsas, beans, vegetables, and specialty dressings from two FSSC 22000–certified plants in Puebla and Tlaxcala and distributing them across all Mexican states through regional retail chains.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersPuebla, Mexico
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What La Morena does
La Morena (legal entity Productos Alimenticios La Morena S.A.) is a privately held, 100% Mexican food manufacturer founded on October 27, 1970, that produces and packages traditional Mexican shelf-stable foods in metal cans and squeeze bottles. Its portfolio spans five families — chiles (chipotles adobados, jalapeños and serranos en escabeche, rajas, slices, ground chipotles), salsas (chipotle hot sauce, casero red salsa, agridulce tomato sauce), frijoles (refried bayo and black beans, bayo with chipotle adobo), verduras (tomato puree, pickled carrots), and especialidades (chipotle and jalapeño dressings, lemon mayonnaise, stuffed jalapeños). Production runs from two plants — Planta Huamantla and Planta Grajales, in Tlaxcala and Puebla respectively — both certified to FSSC 22000, with Planta Huamantla additionally holding the Industria Limpia environmental certificate, and the company overall holding ESR (Empresa Socialmente Responsable) status since 2001 alongside Kosher PAREVE, SMETA, and C-TPAT credentials.
The underlying technology stack combines traditional artisanal recipes (escabeche, adobo) with conventional metal canning — chosen for impact resistance, hermetic sealing, long shelf life, and recyclability — plus modern food-safety management systems. SKU formats span household sizes (100-380 g) up to institutional 2.8 kg packs, with recent format innovation around PET squeeze bottles for ground chipotles and dressings.
La Morena makes money by selling canned and bottled food products at retail through a wide, domestically focused distribution network covering all Mexican states via regional chains (AS PITICO, MERZA, Abarrotera del Duero, Abarrotes Monterrey, Productos de Consumo Z) and a "Quiero Vender" retailer-recruitment flow. The primary customer segment is Mexican consumer households seeking traditional, ready-to-use ingredients; a secondary use case is food-service and institutional kitchens supplied through bulk formats and via the C-TPAT-enabled export subsidiary Comercializadora Naremo. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and the model is one-time unit sale rather than subscription. The company is family-owned with a stated 2031 target for institutionalization, diversification, and third-generation transition, and currently employs between 1,001 and 5,000 people.
La Morena firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- La Morena
- Legal name
- Productos Alimenticios La Morena S.A.
- Website
- https://lamorena.com.mx
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- La Morena is a 100% Mexican, privately held canned-food manufacturer founded in 1970, producing traditional chiles, salsas, beans, vegetables, and specialty dressings from two FSSC 22000–certified plants in Puebla and Tlaxcala and distributing them across all Mexican states through regional retail chains.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
La Morena industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Canned Mexican Foods
- NAICS
- Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114), Food Manufacturing (311)
- SIC
- Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Canned, Fruits, Veg, Preserves, Jams & Jellies (2033)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Dips, Salsas, Relishes & Chutneys Manufacturing (AFAKADAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Pickled & Fermented Foods Manufacturing (AFAKACAI)
Keywords
Where La Morena is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Puebla
- HQ country
- Mexico
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices3 records
Markets served
La Morena business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Canned Food Products Sales: La Morena generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of canned food products including chiles, beans, sauces, vegetables, and specialty items. Products are sold through retail distribution channels across Mexico.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
La Morena product offering
Product offeringCore offering
La Morena is a Mexican food manufacturing company that produces canned chiles, salsas, refried beans, vegetables (tomato purée, pickled carrots), and specialty products such as dressings and stuffed jalapeño peppers. Products are manufactured in two FSSC 22000-certified plants in Puebla and Tlaxcala and sold under the LA MORENA® brand through retail chains and wholesale distributors across Mexico.
Product overview
La Morena is a 100% Mexican food preservation company focused on preserving traditional Mexican flavor (sazón). The product portfolio consists of five main families: (1) Chiles - including chipotles adobados, jalapeños and serranos in escabeche, ground chipotles in squeeze bottles, and various rajas (pepper strips); (2) Salsas - including chipotle hot sauce, homemade-style red salsa, and sweet-sour tomato sauce; (3) Frijoles - refried bayo beans, bayo beans with chipotle adobo, and refried black beans; (4) Verduras - tomato puree and pickled carrots; (5) Especialidades - chipotle and jalapeño dressings, mayonnaise with lemon dressing, and stuffed jalapeño peppers (with picadillo or cheese). The company operates two production plants in Puebla and Tlaxcala and emphasizes metal packaging for product preservation. The products are distributed across multiple sizes from small household portions (100g-250g) to bulk institutional sizes (up to 2.8kg), with recent innovations including practical squeeze-bottle formats for sauces and dressings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Chiles chipotles adobados Smoked chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, the company's flagship product featuring a characteristic smoked flavor and texture, sold in cans for home cooking use.
- Chiles jalapeños en escabeche Jalapeño peppers in pickling brine (escabeche), combining traditional Mexican chile jalapeño flavor with the company's secret escabeche recipe, for home and food service use.
- Chiles serranos en escabeche Serrano peppers in escabeche, distinguished by their exquisite aroma and hand-selected quality, packaged in cans for home cooking.
- Chipotle molido con adobo Ground chipotle with adobo sauce in canned format, offering practical consistency for crowning stews or integrating into recipes without waste.
- Chipotles adobados molidos squeeze Ground chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in a 275g squeeze bottle, ready to eat with no waste.
- Chipotles dulces molidos squeeze Sweet chipotle peppers in brine, ground into a liquid and spicy mixture in a 305g squeeze bottle.
- Rajas Mexicanas Tricolor product combining green rajas, sliced onion, and red rajas in brine, designed for Mexican patriotic celebrations.
- Rajas rojas adobadas Red pepper strips prepared with a tomato-based adobo that gives dishes the company's characteristic flavor.
- Rajas rojas de chiles jalapeños en escabeche Red strips from jalapeño peppers in escabeche, characterized by their unique color, flavor, and spiciness.
- Rajas verdes de chiles jalapeños en escabeche Green strips from jalapeño peppers in escabeche, obtained from uniform hand-selected jalapeño cuts.
- Rodajas en chiles jalapeños en escabeche Jalapeño pepper slices in escabeche, practical for adding a spicy touch to snacks.
- Trocitos de chiles jalapeños en salmuera Small pieces of jalapeño peppers in brine, designed as a companion for adding spiciness to dishes, tacos, or preparing guacamole.
- Salsa picante de chiles chipotles Hot sauce with chipotle peppers as the main ingredient, mixed with tomatoes and spices, suitable for a variety of dishes.
- Salsa roja estilo casero Homemade-style red salsa made with green jalapeño peppers, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, and carefully selected onion.
- Salsa tomate agridulce Sweet and sour tomato sauce in a 2.8 kg institutional format, exceptional for seafood cocktails, made 100% with hand-selected red tomatoes.
- Frijoles bayos refritos Refried bayo beans in cans, favored for accompanying meals from breakfast to dinner, always ready in the pantry.
- Frijoles bayos refritos con adobo y chile chipotle Refried bayo beans with adobo and chipotle pepper, allowing customers to enjoy the iconic chipotle flavor in an innovative presentation.
- Frijoles negros refritos Refried black beans, ready to open, serve, and accompany with the dish of choice.
- Puré de tomate Tomato purée concentrate made from fresh, juicy Mexican tomatoes, ideal as the base for all types of dishes.
- Zanahorias en escabeche Pickled carrots that can be the secret ingredient for preparing a variety of dishes.
- Aderezo de Chipotle Chipotle dressing made with 14% artisanal chipotles and their distinctive adobo in a reduced-fat mayonnaise mixture, packaged in a 250g squeeze bottle.
- Aderezo de Jalapeño Jalapeño dressing made with 15% jalapeños in escabeche in a reduced-fat mayonnaise mixture, packaged in a 250g squeeze bottle.
- Aderezo de Mayonesa con jugo de Limón Mayonnaise dressing with lemon juice in a practical 190g PET bottle, made with the company's secret recipe and light consistency.
- Chiles jalapeños rellenos de picadillo en salsa de jitomate Jalapeño peppers stuffed with picadillo in tomato sauce, ideal for any moment or occasion, simple to serve cold or hot.
- Chiles jalapeños rellenos de queso en salsa de jitomate Jalapeño peppers stuffed with ranchero cheese in tomato sauce, combining the flavor of pickled jalapeños and tomato sauce.
Companies that use La Morena
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
La Morena technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
La Morena partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
La Morena competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- La Costeña: Mexico's leading canned chiles, salsas, and beans brand and La Morena's most direct head-to-head competitor, with overlapping product families (chipotles, jalapeños en escabeche, salsas, frijoles), identical metal-can packaging format, and similar retail-grocery distribution model across Mexico.
- Grupo Herdez: Mexican CPG major whose portfolio (Herdez, Del Fuerte, Doña María, McCormick México) directly overlaps La Morena's chiles, salsas, and beans categories. Comparable in using canned formats and retail distribution, but with meaningfully greater scale, foodservice penetration, and export presence, making it both a direct competitor and a likely strategic acquirer profile.
- Del Fuerte: Mexican canned-food manufacturer specializing in chiles, vegetables, and tomato-based products now owned by Grupo Herdez. Highly comparable product mix (chipotles, jalapeños, salsas) and similar mid-market positioning; represents the type of branded canned-Mexican-food asset La Morena could be consolidated into or benchmarked against.
- Clemente Jacques: Heritage Mexican canned-food brand (founded 1889) producing chiles, salsas, vegetables, and ready meals in similar metal-can formats. Closely comparable in being a long-standing, Mexican-anchored canned-food brand serving retail and foodservice, with similar premium 'casero' positioning.
- Ortega Foods: US-based Mexican food brand (owned by B&G Foods) specializing in canned chiles, taco sauces, salsas, and Mexican meal kits. Closely comparable product mix to La Morena, with stronger US retail penetration — represents both a competitive threat in US Hispanic channels and a benchmark for export-oriented growth.
Broad incumbents
- Megamex Foods: US-based Hispanic foods manufacturer (La Fe, Mi Casa, Embasa brands) competing with La Morena in the canned chiles, salsas, and beans aisles in the US Hispanic market. Less direct in Mexico but a comparable scale and format competitor for any US export expansion of La Morena.
- Goya Foods: Largest Hispanic food company in the Americas, with deep presence in canned chiles, beans, and salsas distributed to the US Hispanic diaspora. Represents the upper-bound scale peer in La Morena's category and a likely benchmark for international expansion potential.
- McCormick & Company: Global flavor and condiment leader whose Hispanic, Mexican, and salsa product lines overlap with La Morena's offerings. Comparable as a broad incumbent that La Morena's specialty positioning differentiates against, particularly in authentic chile-based SKUs.
- Hormel Foods: US-based broad-line packaged foods company with a presence in canned Mexican-style foods (Herdez joint venture) and shelf-stable beans/chiles. Comparable as a large-scale canned-food operator and a potential strategic acquirer of Mexican canned-food brands with US distribution potential.
Regional players
- Conservas La Gitana: Spain-based canned vegetable and pickled food manufacturer with similar artisanal positioning, escabeche/pickled vegetable products, and metal-can packaging focus. Comparable from a category-format and product craft perspective, though operating in a different geography.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
La Morena social profiles
Digital presenceLa Morena compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
La Morena financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
La Morena leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
La Morena subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
La Morena funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
La Morena M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about La Morena
What does La Morena do?
La Morena is a Mexican food manufacturing company that produces canned chiles, salsas, refried beans, vegetables (tomato purée, pickled carrots), and specialty products such as dressings and stuffed jalapeño peppers. Products are manufactured in two FSSC 22000-certified plants in Puebla and Tlaxcala and sold under the LA MORENA® brand through retail chains and wholesale distributors across Mexico.
Is La Morena a public or private company?
La Morena is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was La Morena founded?
La Morena was founded in 1970. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is La Morena based?
La Morena is headquartered in Puebla, Mexico, in the Latin America region.
How does La Morena make money?
One revenue line is on record: canned Food Products Sales.
Who are La Morena's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are La Costeña, Grupo Herdez, Del Fuerte, Clemente Jacques and Ortega Foods. Broad incumbents are Megamex Foods, Goya Foods, McCormick & Company and Hormel Foods. Conservas La Gitana is listed as a regional player.
Does La Morena have an API?
No public API is recorded for La Morena.
What industry is La Morena in?
La Morena's product category is Canned Mexican Foods. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAKADAM, Dips, Salsas, Relishes & Chutneys Manufacturing, with a secondary code of AFAKACAI, Pickled & Fermented Foods Manufacturing. Its NAICS code is 3114 and its SIC code is 2030.