Ortega

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.

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

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

• Mexican food products
• Taco sauces
• Taco shells tortillas
• Seasoning mixes
• Packaged salsas dips

Headquarters

HQ city

Toms River

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. 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

Core 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

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Schafer Condon CartercoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 April 2026Creative 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 MurphycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2026Collaboration 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)minorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCo-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

Direct 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

• Facebookfacebook.com/OrtegaTacos
• Instagraminstagram.com/ortegataco
• Pinterestpinterest.com/ortegatacos
• TikToktiktok.com/@ortegatacos
• Xx.com/ortega
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ortega-holdings-inc.

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ortega