East Los Angeles tortilla maker La Reina, which has worked mostly as a private-label supplier for decades, is reviving its own brand with a pair of rolled tortilla chips, The Eastsider reported Oct. 7. Chief growth officer Mauro Gomez, grandson of founder Mauro Robles, told the outlet the gluten-free chips, flavored chile lime and elote, are due in late October, with more products to follow.

Distribution will start close to home: La Reina's own online store, farmers' markets and shops in East L.A. The bags revive the brand's original look, a crown framed by a blue-and-white checked edge. Gomez said the company also wants to partner with neighborhood businesses, schools and nonprofits.

Robles, a former bracero, started the company in 1958 and relocated to its Ford Boulevard plant soon after. Buying Anita's Mexican Foods of San Bernardino in 1978 added chips and taco shells, and the two sites now employ roughly 300. According to Gomez, the La Reina label lost shelf space when competing tortilla brands arrived around 1990, while the plant kept running on contract work. The relaunch shows a co-packer layering a branded snack line over its private-label base.

Companies La Reina Anita's Mexican Foods

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