Ortega
Ortega is a 125+ year-old Mexican food CPG brand owned by B&G Foods, selling taco sauces, shells, tortillas, seasonings, beans, chiles, and meal kits through U.S. grocery, Walmart, Amazon, and WIC channels, targeting families and now Gen Z/millennial consumers via the 'Now it's a Fiesta' brand refresh.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1897
- HeadquartersToms River, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Ortega does
Ortega is a Mexican food consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand owned by B&G Foods since 2003. The brand traces its origin to 1897 when Emilio Ortega founded the Ortega Chile Packaging Company in Ventura, California, pioneering commercial fire-roasting of green chiles — a proprietary process that remains the brand's core technical differentiation. Ortega sells a comprehensive Mexican meal portfolio spanning taco sauces (including a self-claimed #1 selling Mild Taco Sauce), hard and soft taco shells, tortillas (yellow, white, blue corn, whole wheat, flour, cauliflower), seasonings, canned chiles and peppers, refried and black beans, salsas, enchilada and skillet sauces, and pre-assembled taco meal kits.
The business operates as a brand within B&G Foods' diversified portfolio, generating revenue through grocery retail distribution (Walmart, Amazon, WIC-approved channels across multiple states) and a subscription taco night kit on Amazon. The GTM is product-led and retailer-mediated: mass-market distribution, promotional pricing (BOGO, $1-off coupons), brand-platform marketing under 'Now it's a Fiesta,' and event-driven activations around Cinco de Mayo and the newly created Seis de Mayo holiday. Target customer segments are families seeking convenient Mexican meal solutions and, more recently, Gen Z and millennial consumers reached via the Brotega mascot and TikTok/Pinterest/Instagram channels. Recent strategic activity centers on a comprehensive 2025 brand refresh and product line extensions (Cauliflower shells, Cheez-It co-brand, Street Taco variants) designed to reverse declining sales reported at the parent level.
Ortega firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ortega
- Legal name
- Ortega (Brand)
- Website
- https://ortega.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1897
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ortega is a 125+ year-old Mexican food CPG brand owned by B&G Foods, selling taco sauces, shells, tortillas, seasonings, beans, chiles, and meal kits through U.S. grocery, Walmart, Amazon, and WIC channels, targeting families and now Gen Z/millennial consumers via the 'Now it's a Fiesta' brand refresh.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ortega industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Packaged Mexican Foods
- NAICS
- Tortilla Manufacturing (31183), Tortilla Manufacturing (311830), Snack Food Manufacturing (31191)
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Tortilla & Corn Chips Manufacturing (AFAKAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Chips & Savory Snacks (Potato, Tortilla, Extruded) (CRADABAE)
Keywords
Where Ortega is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toms River
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Ortega business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel
Revenue model
- Consumer Packaged Goods Sales: Ortega generates revenue through the sale of packaged food products including taco sauces, taco shells, tortillas, seasonings, peppers, beans, and salsas through retail grocery stores. Revenue is declining year-over-year with Q3 reported at $439.3 million (B&G Foods), down 4.72% YoY.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Ortega product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ortega is a Mexican food brand that manufactures and sells packaged Mexican meal components, including taco sauces, taco shells, tortillas, seasoning mixes, fire-roasted chile peppers, refried and black beans, and salsas. Products are sold through grocery retailers and e-commerce channels across the United States, offering complete solutions for taco nights and Mexican meals at home.
Product overview
Ortega is a Mexican food brand owned by B&G Foods, offering a comprehensive portfolio of products for Mexican meals. The product line includes taco sauces (Mild, Medium, Hot, Mild Green, Taco Salad Ranch, Flavor Craver Taco Ranch, Chipotle Aioli, Creamy Queso), tortillas and shells (Yellow Corn, White Corn, Blue Corn, Habanero Flavored, Guacamole Flavored, Cheez-It, Homestyle Tostada, Fiesta Flats, Mini Taco Sliders, Whole Grain, Whole Wheat, Flour, Cauliflower, Grande Hard & Soft), seasonings (Taco Seasoning Mix, Street Taco, Street Taco Chili Lime, Cheesy, Ranch, Hot & Spicy, Chipotle, 40% Less Sodium, Fajita, Fish Taco, Reduced Sodium Chili, Reduced Sodium Burrito), beans (Refried, Fat Free Refried, Vegetarian Refried, Black, Black with Jalapeños), peppers (Fire Roasted Mild Diced Green Chiles, Hot Diced Green Chiles, Hot/Jalapeños, Mild/Hot Whole Green Chiles, Hot Sliced Jalapeños), salsas and dips (Thick & Chunky Mild/Medium, Homestyle Mild/Medium), skillet and enchilada sauces (Fajita, Taco, Enchilada), and taco meal kits (Soft Taco, Hard & Soft Grande, Taco Dinner, Fiesta Flats). The brand also offers a subscription box (Taco Night Adventure Kit). Ortega positions itself as making Mexican meals easy, with products spanning the full range of taco night components.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Seis de Mayo: A new national holiday declared by Ortega to extend Cinco de Mayo celebrations, featuring state-inspired taco recipes.
- The Seis 50
- Now it's a Fiesta
- Brotega
Products and services
- Mild Taco Sauce America's #1 selling taco sauce with Thick & Smooth formula in an easy-to-pour bottle, versatile for tacos, burritos, pizza, baked potatoes, salads, and eggs.
- Medium Taco Sauce Taco sauce with Thick & Smooth formula at a medium heat level for versatile use on Mexican dishes.
- Hot Taco Sauce Spicy taco sauce with Thick & Smooth formula for consumers preferring hot heat level.
- Mild Green Taco Sauce Taco sauce made with green chili peppers offering a light and mild flavor balanced with Ortega's signature 'zing'.
- Taco Salad Ranch Sauce A zesty twist on traditional ranch dressing for taco salads, tacos, pizza, or vegetable dipping.
- Flavor Craver Taco Ranch Taco Sauce Bold, creamy ranch-flavored taco sauce for tacos, taco salads, dips, and burgers.
- Chipotle Aioli Sauce Creamy aioli sauce with chipotle flavor in a flip-cap bottle for tacos, burritos, burgers, and pizza.
- Creamy Queso Sauce Creamy, mild, and smooth blended cheesy sauce in a squeeze bottle for tacos, burritos, and pizza.
- Yellow Corn Hard Taco Shells Classic crunchy taco shells made from yellow corn masa flour for crispy taco meals.
- White Corn Taco Shells Crunchy taco shells made from white corn masa flour.
- Habanero Flavored Taco Shells Hard taco shells with habanero pepper flavor baked into the shells for an authentic Mexican kick.
- Guacamole Flavored Taco Shells Hard taco shells with guacamole flavor (avocado, tomato, onion) baked into the shells.
- Cheez-It Taco Shells Co-branded taco shells combining Cheez-It cheddar flavor with Ortega corn taco shells.
- Homestyle Tostada Shells Crispy tostada shells made with white corn masa and sea salt.
- Fiesta Flats Flat-bottomed crispy taco shells with raised edges, designed for loading with toppings.
- Yellow Corn Mini Taco Slider Shells Mini-sized taco shells ideal for appetizers, snacks, and parties.
- Flour Tortillas
Companies that use Ortega
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Ortega technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Ortega partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Schafer Condon CartercoreCreative agency partnership for brand refresh and 'Now it's a Fiesta' marketing platform. Developed the comprehensive brand refresh including new logo, packaging, and brand platform launched in early 2025. Also developed Seis de Mayo holiday initiative.
- Food Network Celebrity Chef Kelsey MurphycoreCollaboration on limited-time product development including the Chicago Taco Dog for Seis de Mayo launch. Also created recipes such as Skirt Steak Street Tacos featured on Ortega's website.
- Cheez-It (Kellogg's)minorCo-branded Cheez-It Taco Shells product - Ortega shells made with real cheddar cheese and the signature toasty Cheez-It flavor baked into the shell.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ortega competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Chi-Chi's: Mexican food brand historically positioned in retail taco kits, sauces, and shells. Overlaps with Ortega's meal-kit and sauce categories, though distribution is now narrower.
- Guerrero Tortillas: Major corn and flour tortilla brand focused on Hispanic and mainstream grocery channels. Directly comparable to Ortega on tortillas, taco shells, and authentic Mexican positioning.
- Cholula: Premium Mexican hot sauce brand now owned by McCormick. Directly competes with Ortega's hot taco sauces and Mild/Medium/Hot portfolio in the Mexican condiment set.
- Pace Foods: Campbell-owned salsa and Mexican sauce brand with national grocery distribution. Directly comparable to Ortega's Thick & Chunky and Homestyle salsa lines.
- Old El Paso: General Mills' flagship Mexican food brand offering taco kits, taco shells, tortillas, sauces, and seasonings. Most direct competitor to Ortega across nearly every Mexican-meal category.
- La Costeña: Mexican canned goods brand offering salsas, enchilada sauces, peppers, and beans. Comparable to Ortega on canned chiles, beans, and traditional Mexican sauces.
- Mission Foods: Gruma-owned leading manufacturer of tortillas, wraps, and tortilla chips with deep U.S. retail penetration. Directly competes with Ortega in tortillas, taco shells, and Mexican-aisle shelf space.
- Herdez: Mexican food brand specializing in salsas, mole, enchilada sauces, and canned peppers. Directly overlaps with Ortega's sauces, salsas, and chiles SKUs in the Mexican aisle.
Broad incumbents
- Tostitos (Frito-Lay): PepsiCo's mass-market tortilla chip brand with broad snack portfolio. Competes with Ortega's taco shells and tortilla chips for share of stomach and shelf in the Mexican-snack occasion.
Emerging players
- Siete Foods: Fast-growing better-for-you Mexican-American brand offering grain-free tortillas, chips, and sauces. Represents the modern, health-conscious flank of the same category Ortega competes in and is reshaping younger consumer expectations.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ortega social profiles
Digital presenceOrtega compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Ortega financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ortega leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Ortega funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ortega 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 Ortega
What does Ortega do?
Ortega is a Mexican food brand that manufactures and sells packaged Mexican meal components, including taco sauces, taco shells, tortillas, seasoning mixes, fire-roasted chile peppers, refried and black beans, and salsas. Products are sold through grocery retailers and e-commerce channels across the United States, offering complete solutions for taco nights and Mexican meals at home.
Is Ortega a public or private company?
Ortega is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Ortega founded?
Ortega was founded in 1897. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ortega based?
Ortega is headquartered in Toms River, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ortega make money?
One revenue line is on record: consumer Packaged Goods Sales.
Who are Ortega's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Chi-Chi's, Guerrero Tortillas, Cholula, Pace Foods, Old El Paso, La Costeña, Mission Foods and Herdez. Tostitos (Frito-Lay) is listed as a broad incumbent. Siete Foods is listed as an emerging player.
Does Ortega have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ortega.
What industry is Ortega in?
Ortega's product category is Packaged Mexican Foods. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAKAIAB, Tortilla & Corn Chips Manufacturing, with a secondary code of CRADABAE, Chips & Savory Snacks (Potato, Tortilla, Extruded). Its NAICS code is 31183 and its SIC code is 2000.