80�SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2025�ABASTO.COM By Violeta Montes de Oca M ore than a century ago, on a hacienda in Guanajuato, Mexico, a community was born whose passion revolves around chili peppers. Tere, a company that is more than just a factory has created family ties in the community of “La California,” producing a dish of export quality: Mole Rancho La California. THIS PRODUCT TASTES LIKE FAMILY, CELEBRATION, TRADITION, AND ROOTS Te recipe for “Mole Rancho La Cali- fornia” combines dried criollo chiles, cultivated by the community itself for over a century, with the recipe that Don Casimiro Peña, son of Don León Peña, better known as the “King of Chile,” bought from Doña Lupita, a woman in Puebla who made the best mole. Te innate knowledge of chiles that the inhabitants of the La California community have and the incompara- ble seasoning of the women result in a mole that people in the United States, Latin America, and Europe fall in love with for its favor. MOLE RANCHO LA CALIFORNIA A STORY OF FLAVOR 1910: Don León Peña, “King of Chile,” pioneered chile cultivation in northern Guajanuato and com- mercialized them internationally. Legacy: His son, Don Casimiro Peña, expanded the farming lands and founded “Rancho La California.” New Generation: Jaime Peña (son of Don Casimiro), his wife Cecilia Grande, and their daughters Cecilia and Carolina transformed the chiles into “Mole Rancho La California.” FOUR FLAVORS Mole Rancho La California celebrates Mexico’s regional diversity with a product in four flavors with different aromas, tastes, and levels of heat. It offers them in three formats for both retail and foodservice: 44-pound bucket, 11-pound bucket, and one-pound PET container. 1 Poblano (the most traditional) 2 Negro (Oaxacan style) 3 Mole Verde (pipián style) 4 Ranchero (the coloradito) THE I NCOM PARAB LE FLA VOR O F 2 3 4 +20 ingredients are needed to make mole, including chiles, spices, nuts, seeds, chocolate, and fruits We want Mexicans to feel a connection with our product, so that when they try it, they remember their home, their community, and their family. We seek to captivate everyone with the favor of our land and the heritage we have as chile producers.” Carolina Peña Grande / International Sales Manager 25 people are part of the community that cultivates, harvests, prepares, and seasons the mole. 64 varieties of chile exist in Mexico. However, the number could exceed 200 when considering subspecies and native varieties. 2010 is the year that UNESCO declared Mexican cuisine an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. One of the dishes that made this possible was mole. 1 80�SEPTIEMBRE / OCTUBRE 2025�ABASTO.COM BUSINESS SHOWCASE