2023 Sourcing Report
A Note From Our Founder
January 2023
Hey folks,
It’s with great pleasure that we’re sharing highlights from our 2023 Sourcing Report here. (You can also find the full report in both English and Spanish at the bottom of the page.)
We publish these annual reports because transparency is part of the ethos here at Masienda, and if you buy our products, talk about them with your friends, or even just follow us on Instagram, we think of you as a key community stakeholder. We want you to know the realities of our business — our wins and our losses — because we’re all in this together. Thank you for taking an interest in heirloom corn and being a part of our journey. We couldn’t do it without you.
Jorge Gaviria
CEO
Our Sourcing Values
Partner Spotlight: Armando Guadarrama
Partner Spotlight: Armando Guadarrama
Follow the maíz azul. It’s in the fertile soils at the base of the Jocotitlán volcano in Estado de México where Armando Guadarrama pours his passion into growing heirloom corn, mostly cónico and cacahuazintle. We’ve been purchasing corn from Armando since Masienda was founded back in 2014, and in recent years, it’s brought us much delight to see that Armando’s son Moisés has joined him in the family business. While yield can easily vary year to year (as with most of our farmer partners, all of Guadarrama’s parcels are rain-fed), Armando says he will never stop farming, as long as his soil continues to produce.
Armando Guadarrama, Partner Farmer, ESTADO DE MÉXICO
“We all benefit — both the people who consume the product and the people who help me produce it.”
Looking Ahead
We call ourselves The Better Masa Company because essentially our mission boils down to something simple: delivering masa that’s better than anything our customers have ever tasted.
The way we source our corn — by aggregating surplus from an extensive network of smallholder farmers in Mexico — isn’t easy, but we believe it’s worth it. Genetic diversity and traditional farming practices produce a flavor and texture that just taste, well, better. And they happen to be better for the community and the planet, too.
As we wrap up this year, we are heartened to know that more people are able to enjoy the taste of a true tortilla while helping preserve the biodiversity of one the world’s most important crops. Despite instability in the global economy and a particularly volatile year in the corn market, we were able to purchase more than 2.6 million pounds of corn (a record) and invest a total of more than $2.5 million USD in small-scale agriculture and family-run businesses in Mexico.
While we cannot know exactly what’s in store for 2024, we are proud to have built a resilient supply chain and assembled a world-class team to help write the next chapter.
– The Masienda Team
