Do you want to know the secret behind the freshly made corn tortillas that are an authentic taste of Mexico, right here in St. Thomas at Taco House Co?
And how that led to recognitions this week from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.
Well the story begins with a chance encounter at a swim meet where owner Aurora Alcocer and her family were approached by a Spanish-speaking woman, and the topic turned to corn.
The woman advised, “My family and I, we have a business and we grow corn and we’re developing corn to use it for manufacturing products.”
That business is Glenn Seed Ltd., near Blenheim, and that immediately caught the attention of Alcocer.
And now, Glenn Seed devotes 17 acres of land to grow a specialty corn specifically for Taco House.
Alcocer explains what comes next.
“It’s called a nixtamalization process where we cook the corn, we steep it, we mill it with a stone mill, then we make the tortillas. And from there, we make delicious tacos with it. And people can even buy the tortillas and use them at home to make their beautiful dishes.”
Previously, Alcocer had to import corn flour from the U.S.
Now, 98 per cent of products used by Taco House are grown locally, and that has earned them the right to be a Foodland Ontario member.
And, this week, Taco House Co. was recognized by the Ontario government during Local Food Week, running through Sunday.
The 2026 Local Food Report spotlighted Taco House Co. as one of four businesses and organizations that are strengthening Ontario’s local food supply chain, supporting the economy and protecting Ontario’s food independence.
In the case of Taco House Co., it was featured for pivoting from importing products to sourcing from local farmers in the region.
Written by Ian McCallum
