By Monica Rodriguez for The Eastsider
Originally published on Oct. 7, 2026.
Eastside residents of a certain age may remember La Reina tortillas and the distinctive blue-and-white checkerboard packaging featuring a crowned woman holding a scepter.
The brand has not been seen on store shelves for decades, but in late October, La Reina will return with rolled tortilla chips, available in chile lime and elote flavors.
Mauro Gomez, the company’s chief growth officer and grandson of founder Mauro Robles, said the new offerings were inspired by the community and the ingredients that street vendors use.
“We said, ‘Let’s bring in these flavors as best we can,’” Gomez said.
The gluten-free snacks will be available online through La Reina, at area farmers’ markets and at East L.A. retailers, Gomez said. They will be the first items back under the La Reina name, though more are planned.
Robles, a native of Mexico, came to the U.S. through the Bracero Program and saw an opportunity to sell flour tortillas in “a wheat-eating country,” according to a statement from La Reina. He worked at a tortilla factory owned by his future wife’s father before opening the business in East L.A. in 1958. Three years later, it moved to its current Ford Boulevard location.
In 1978, La Reina acquired San Bernardino-based Anita’s Mexican Foods, expanding into tortilla chips and taco shells. It currently employs 300 people in both locations.
The La Reina brand disappeared as other tortilla brands entered the market in the late 1980s and early ’90s. However, the factory remained open as the company continued making tortillas for private labels, Gomez said.
With the new snacks, La Reina also plans to highlight small-business entrepreneurs, Gomez said. The company will also work with schools and non-profits.
“We’ll not only shine a light on the community, but give back,” Gomez said.
And for those wondering, the packaging will be familiar, incorporating the original checker border and the crown.
