Edward Medina is at the helm of Ramona’s Food Group, steering the company with both tradition and innovation in mind. When Edward joined in 2012 as director of finance, Ramona’s was losing hundreds of thousands each month. By 2014, as CEO, he led a dramatic turnaround—streamlining operations, cutting costs, and standing firm on product value, which transformed the struggling company into a profitable, respected brand.
On an episode of quench’s podcast, Forktales, Edward shared engaging stories about Ramona’s colorful journey, from delivering tortillas on buses to becoming a staple in the frozen food aisle. He talked about the importance of keeping things authentic and the unique perks of being a family-owned operation.
WHAT IS RAMONA’S FOOD GROUP AND HOW HAS IT EVOLVED?
Ramona’s is a great story. I always say we’re like a 78-year-old startup. It was started in 1947 as a real rags to riches story. Our founder, Romana Banuelos, started making tortillas and delivering them on the bus. We became the main tortilla supplier to Taco Bell in the ’60s and ’70s. From there, we moved into foodservice and eventually frozen burritos. At the same time, we had restaurants that became community staples. That’s really the foundation of who we are today.
WHAT DOES AUTHENTICITY MEAN TO YOU TODAY?
It’s staying true to our roots. Our recipes are over 100 years old and we haven’t ventured from those. There’s always pressure to use substitutes, but we don’t. We like to think of ourselves like the In-N-Out of Mexican food. We do a couple things and we do them well. Everybody else is chasing trends, but we stick to what works and let the results speak for themselves.
WHAT DROVE THE YOUR TURNAROUND OF RAMONA’S?
It was all about cost management. In CPG, you can’t just grow sales overnight. So we focused on getting to break even. That meant cutting costs, working with suppliers, right-sizing employees. I even told our largest customer we needed a price increase, and when they said no, I told them it was their last order. They called back the next day and agreed. We had to make tough calls.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE BRANDS ENTERING CPG OR EXPANDING FROM RESTAURANTS?
Get profitable as quickly as possible. When we weren’t profitable, we made bad decisions. Wrong clients, wrong pricing, wrong products. Profitability slows things down in a good way. It lets you make better decisions. And if you’re going from restaurant to CPG, don’t try to do it all yourself. Partner with a co-manufacturer. It’s a completely different business.
