What Old El Paso does

Old El Paso is a Mexican-inspired packaged food brand established in 1939 and currently owned by General Mills, Inc. (NYSE: GIS). The brand produces a comprehensive portfolio of Tex-Mex CPG products including taco shells, soft and hard tortillas, seasoning mixes, enchilada and queso sauces, pickled jalapeños, refried beans, cilantro-lime rice, dinner kits, soups, and low-carb variants under the Carb Advantage sub-line. Core product differentiators include the Stand 'N Stuff flat-bottom taco shell design and an extensive recipe platform that drives content marketing around the 'Taco Night' use case.

The brand sells primarily through traditional retail grocery channels — mainstream supermarkets, mass merchandisers, and club stores — supplemented by its own e-commerce website and likely third-party platforms. Its go-to-market emphasizes seasonal event marketing around Cinco de Mayo and Taco Tuesday, social media engagement, a large recipe library, and digital promotional partnerships with Ibotta and Fetch Rewards. Strategic brand partnerships include a flagship sponsorship of the LeBron James Family Foundation's I PROMISE Village and a limited-edition TABASCO collaboration.

Old El Paso serves fragmented consumer end-markets — primarily families and home cooks seeking convenient weeknight Mexican-inspired meals, and secondarily entertainment hosts and party planners — across more than 25 countries in North America, Europe, and Australia. As a brand within a publicly traded parent, Old El Paso does not independently disclose revenue, funding, headcount, or financial performance; all financials are consolidated within General Mills' corporate reporting. The brand has no disclosed AI, technology, or proprietary software capabilities, reflecting its positioning as a traditional CPG product company.

Name

Old El Paso

Legal name

General Mills, Inc.

Website

https://oldelpaso.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1939

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Old El Paso is a General Mills brand producing Mexican-inspired packaged foods — taco shells, tortillas, seasonings, sauces, dinner kits, and soups — sold through grocery retail across North America, Europe, and Australia, primarily targeting families seeking convenient weeknight Tex-Mex meals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mexican-Inspired Packaged Foods

NAICS

Tortilla Manufacturing (311830), Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing (3118), Food Manufacturing (311), Fruit and Vegetable Canning, Pickling, and Drying (31142)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Tortilla & Corn Chips Manufacturing (AFAKAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chips & Savory Snacks (Potato, Tortilla, Extruded) (CRADABAE), Shelf-Stable Ready-to-Eat Meals & Meal Kits (Packaged) (CRADAAAJ), Soup, Chili & Comfort Foods (Self-Serve or Packaged) (CRAHAKAF)

Keywords

• Mexican food products
• Tex-Mex packaged foods
• Taco shells tortillas
• Dinner kits seasonings
• Consumer packaged goods

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Consumer Packaged Goods Sales: Old El Paso generates revenue through the sale of packaged food products including taco shells, tortillas, seasonings, sauces, dinner kits, and snacks through retail grocery stores and potentially e-commerce platforms. Products are sold as one-time purchase items at standard retail price points typical of CPG brands.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Old El Paso manufactures and sells a comprehensive line of Mexican-inspired packaged food products for home cooking, including hard and soft taco shells, flour tortillas, seasoning mixes, enchilada and queso sauces, pickled toppings, refried beans, seasoned rice, and all-in-one dinner kits. Products are marketed under the 'Taco Night' platform and sold primarily through retail grocery channels globally. The brand also maintains an extensive recipe content platform and limited-edition collaborations.

Product overview

Old El Paso is a brand of General Mills offering a comprehensive portfolio of Mexican-inspired food products for home cooking. The product line is organized around core taco night staples (Stand 'N Stuff Taco Shells, Flour Tortillas, Seasoning Mixes, Sauces, Toppings, Rice & Beans) complemented by bundled collections (Dinner Kits, Taco Night Core, Game Day, Pass O The Old El Paso Favorites), specialty lines (Carb Advantage for low-carb options, Latest & Greatest for new innovations), and Soups. Individual products like the Original Taco Seasoning Mix, Hot Jalapeño Slices, Zesty Ranch Sauce, Mild Red Enchilada Sauce, and Traditional Refried Beans serve as foundational ingredients that work across multiple recipes. The brand positions itself around 'Taco Night' as the central use case, with products designed to make any night a taco night. Established in 1939, the brand has over 80 years of heritage in bringing families together around Tex-Mex flavors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stand 'N Stuff Taco Shells Crunchy hard taco shells with a flat-bottom design that allows them to stand upright on their own. Made with just three ingredients including lime-flavored corn flour; gluten-free shells heated in oven or microwave before filling. Targeted at home cooks preparing tacos.
• Original Taco Seasoning Mix Packet of taco spices and seasonings used to flavor ground beef, chicken, or other proteins for taco filling. Contains corn starch, chili pepper, maltodextrin, salt, spice, and onion powder. Targeted at home cooks making tacos.
• Hot Pickled Jalapeño Slices Canned pickled jalapeño pepper slices used as a topping for tacos, nachos, burritos, and other Mexican-inspired dishes. Made with jalapeño pepper, water, vinegar, salt, and calcium chloride. Targeted at home cooks.
• Zesty Ranch Sauce Squeeze-bottle taco sauce combining mild heat with ranch flavor. Made with water, canola oil, sugar, corn starch, natural flavor; contains egg and milk ingredients. Used as a dipping sauce or topping for tacos.
• Flour Tortillas for Burritos (8-count) Soft flour tortillas used as a foundation for burritos, fajitas, and other Mexican-style dishes. Made with enriched bleached flour, water, and palm oil. Available in 8-count packages.
• Soft Tortilla Bowls (Flour, 8-count) Pre-formed soft flour tortilla bowls designed to be filled with taco toppings and eaten handheld. Made with enriched bleached flour, water, and palm oil.
• Soft Flour Tortilla Mini Bowls (12-count)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• TABASCO BrandflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 April 2026Collaboration to launch limited-edition Stand 'N Stuff Taco Shells made with TABASCO Brand Pepper Sauce flavor for the rare alignment of Cinco de Mayo and Taco Tuesday on May 5, 2026. The partnership includes a Taco Totality Gear Box containing flavored shells along with taco-themed merchandise. The collaboration was facilitated by IMG Licensing.
• LeBron James Family FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOld El Paso serves as the official sponsor of the LJFF I PROMISE Village, supporting weekly community dinners, meal kits, events, and initiatives including House Three Thirty (a multi-use facility for I PROMISE families) and The Taco Shop by Old El Paso (a full-service restaurant and community space). The partnership is committed to bringing families together and helping families overcome obstacles including homelessness and domestic violence.
• IMG LicensingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLicensing agency that facilitated the collaboration between Old El Paso and TABASCO Brand for the Taco Totality limited-edition product launch.
• IbottaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDigital rewards platform providing promotional support and rebates for Old El Paso products, including the TABASCO collaboration launch.
• Fetch RewardsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRewards application providing promotional support and digital rebates for Old El Paso products, including the TABASCO collaboration launch.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Siete Foods: Fast-growing better-for-you Mexican-American brand (grain-free tortillas, chips, sauces) competing with Old El Paso for the same taco-night occasion but skewing toward health-conscious and premium consumers.
• Amy's Kitchen: Organic and vegetarian frozen meals brand with a strong Mexican line (burritos, enchiladas, tacos) that competes with Old El Paso's dinner kits and Mexican meal occasions, particularly in natural and grocery channels.
• Taco Bell Home Originals: Yum! Brands' retail line of Taco Bell-branded Mexican kits and shells brings a QSR brand halo into the same grocery aisles where Old El Paso competes, targeting similar family taco-night occasions.

Broad incumbents

• Conagra Brands: Diversified packaged-food conglomerate whose portfolio includes Rosarita and Hunt's, overlapping directly with Old El Paso's Mexican ingredients and competing for the same grocery shelf and trade promotions.

Direct peers

• Chi-Chi's: Long-running Mexican food brand historically offering taco shells, kits, and Mexican sauces in US retail; competes directly with Old El Paso on shelf in the Mexican/Tex-Mex packaged food category.
• Mission Foods: The US tortilla and wraps business of Gruma, Mission directly competes with Old El Paso's shells and tortillas segment and is the leading branded tortilla manufacturer in many of the same retail channels.
• Rosarita: A heritage Mexican canned-beans and sauce brand owned by Conagra Brands; Rosarita overlaps with Old El Paso's refried beans, sauces, and canned Mexican ingredients in the same grocery aisle.
• Ortega: Owned by B&G Foods, Ortega is one of the most direct US shelf competitors to Old El Paso in Mexican packaged foods, offering taco kits, shells, seasonings, and sauces across the same grocery aisles.

Regional players

• Cacique: Hispanic-owned dairy and Mexican foods producer (cheeses, cremas, salsas) competing in the Mexican food category with a stronger authentic Hispanic positioning, primarily in North American markets where Old El Paso operates.
• Herdez: Mexico-headquartered salsa, sauce, and Mexican foods brand with growing US presence; overlaps with Old El Paso's Mexican sauces and toppings and brings stronger authenticity positioning, primarily competing in North America.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/oldelpaso

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Old El Paso