Somewhere between Southern California, Mexico and Australia, Diego’s owners Deann, a fun-loving Cali girl, and Colin, a true-blue Aussie bloke fell head over heels in love and spent a year travelling together.
Craving the tastes and smells of her childhood, Deann persuaded Colin to take a huge leap of faith.
In late 1995, they launched their own range of handmade soft white corn tortillas, tortilla chips and salsas out of a small factory right in the heart of Miami on the Gold Coast.
“Diego’s was born out of missing the soft white corn tortillas I grew up eating on our family holidays in Baja, Mexico, where we’d drive from San Diego down the coast for weekends away,” Deann says.
“The truth is, when we started, Australians weren’t exposed to the tastes of truly authentic Mexican and Southern Californian cuisine.
“What began as a labour of love, eventually grew because we recognised a demand for our products that Australians hadn’t tried before and wanted to share our passion for such a versatile food.”
Many Australians may have been familiar with hard taco shells, which ironically are not a part of the traditional Mexican diet however, soft corn tortillas were, and are still, consumed in copious quantities throughout Mexico and the United States.
Fast-forward a stellar 26 years in business, Diego’s now employ over 50 staff and supply their range of healthy wraps, tortillas and condiments Australia-wide and internationally.
“Passion is where our story started and all these years later, passion is what continues to drive our 100% Australian family-owned and operated business,” she says.
Operating out of their ever-expanding factory space in Burleigh Heads, Diego’s prefers to use locally sourced ingredients wherever possible.
“As the only Australian family-owned company producing both corn and flour tortillas, we are passionate about creating products that use Australian sourced ingredients wherever possible,” she says.
The authenticity of Diego’s products has been noticed by the restaurant and supermarket industry, with many bringing the Gold Coast company on as a preferred supplier.
“We openly champion Australia’s wonderfully diverse restaurant culture and are proud to see our products form the basis for delicious culinary dishes in some of the country’s best dining spots,” Deann says.
“Our commitment is to make the most authentic food possible with a strong focus on nutrition, dietary requirements, flavours and quality.
“Ultimately, it is food made with love and soul that makes Diego’s truly stand out from the pack.”
Website: diegosauthenticfoods.com.au
