Our Story
The Brand
Villa Tortillas makes small-batch flour and corn tortillas in Ithaca, New York. They are slightly thicker and sturdier than standard commercial tortillas, closer to how they are prepared in Indigenous and Mexican kitchens across northern Mexico and the American Southwest.
These tortillas are built to hold real food: beans, stews, eggs, roasted vegetables, and meats. They are soft yet durable, made fresh, and free from preservatives and unnecessary additives.
This is not mass production. It is a continuation of tradition.
The Founder
Photo: Me and my two grandmothers on the right
I’m Diana, founder of Villa Tortillas.
I grew up in a home where tortillas were part of daily life. My grandmother, from the Chihuahua and Durango border region with Tepehuán and Nahua roots, mixed corn and flour dough by hand and cooked it on a hot comal in a small kitchen. Her tortillas were not perfectly round. Some thin. Some thick. Always warm. Always perfect.
After migrating north, she worked in factories and in the fields. She supported farmworkers during long labor marches, cooking and carrying food for those organizing for better working conditions. My father and his family worked in those same California fields under the sun. Today, they farm their own land, growing alfalfa, tomatoes, strawberries, and walnuts, while raising livestock.
My family’s history is rooted in farm labor in California, where generations of workers organized for dignity, fair wages, and the right to be sustained by their own work.
Land, labor, and food have always been connected in my life.
I come from people who move with purpose, and I have walked that path in my own way.
When I moved to Central New York, I struggled to find tortillas that reflected that tradition. Most were thin, oily, and uniform, made for shelf life rather than nourishment. They lacked the structure and substance I grew up with.
I have always made tortillas the way my grandmother taught me. After moving to Ithaca, I began making them for others.
Photo: My fathers farm land in Northern California
If you would like to learn more about the history of farmworkers in California, including the roles Mexican and Filipino workers played in organizing for better working conditions, you can explore resources from the Center for Sacramento History and the Farmworker Movement Exhibit at University of California, Merced.
Why It Exists
Villa Tortillas exists because food carries memory.
Migration shapes families. Land shapes what we grow and cook. Borders shift, but traditions of planting, harvesting, and feeding people endure.
These tortillas reflect Indigenous and Mexican foodways rooted in northern Mexico and carried through the American Southwest by families who worked the land, crossed borders, and built new lives without abandoning their traditions.
In Central New York, those textures and structures were difficult to find. So I continue making and sharing the tortillas I have made my whole life.
Our Values
Freshness
Tortillas should be made to be eaten, not stored for months.
Land Stewardship
Food begins in the soil. Respect for land and farmers guides this work.
Labor Dignity
Farmworker history is part of our family history. Food should honor the people who grow and harvest it.
Cultural Continuity
Traditions do not disappear when people move. They adapt and endure.
Integrity
No preservatives. No unnecessary additives. No shortcuts.
Looking Ahead
Villa Tortillas is growing intentionally. The goal is to collaborate with local farmers, expand production without compromising quality, and continue honoring the land and labor that make food possible.
Thank you for being part of it.