Mi Tierra Tortillas

corn, water, lime.

So simple, it’s poetry. Those are the ingredients of Mi Tierra tortillas and you can definitely taste the difference between the above and “corn masa flour, water, cellulose gum, propionic acid, benzoic acid, phosphoric acid, guar gum, amylase,” the ingredient list of a mass-produced tortilla.

The difference isn’t solely in the ingredients, though. Listening to Jorge Sosa and Michael Docter, the owners of Mi Tierra, talk about the team’s decision making process each time they open up a new shipment of local corn, it becomes apparent that making the best tortillas is both an art and a science. They do have a recipe for the tortillas, but everyone in the production room uses instincts built up through years of experience to decide if anything in the process needs to change to create the highest quality product. Maybe the corn has a slightly different texture than other batches and needs a longer cook or a bit more lime. Maybe the ambient temperature in the room is a bit higher and the team knows the kettles will come to temperature faster than on a cold winter day. Jorge, Michael, and the team have become very familiar with their ingredients and their equipment and they navigate all of it expertly.

Mi Tierra also nixtamalizes their corn on premises rather than just hydrating pre-ground nixtamalized corn flour. This is more work, but just like all other choices Mi Tierra makes, it leads to a fresher product. Nixtamalization is the process of soaking dried corn kernels in an alkaline solution—in this case lime—in order to soften the corn, release each kernel from its hull, and allow it to form a pliable dough when ground and mixed. Nixtamalization also increases the bioavailability of nutrients, such as vitamin B3.

Mi Tierra is owned and operated by Jorge and Michael. These two form a powerhouse team with a shared motivation to do all things well, and they have just enough difference in background and perspective to strengthen each other and the business in a beautiful way. Jorge brings a lifetime of experience eating and cooking high-quality, authentic Mexican food and Michael brings decades of farming experience and knowledge of the best local produce.

When Jorge began experimenting with making his own tortillas he was not satisfied with the available masa flours on the market. Corn tortillas are just better when made from real, whole corn. He asked a cousin in Mexico to send him some Mexican corn seed to try to grow here in Hadley. Michael planted the seed and this is what he found:

“The plant grew about 18 feet tall and never produced any corn. It was stretching to the sky looking for enough Mexican sunshine to make some Mexican corn, but it never found that sunshine in Hadley.”

They didn’t want to ship corn all the way from Mexico to make their tortillas. Michael and Jorge started to search for a local corn variety and what they found was a win for everyone. Locally grown corn reduces food miles and fossil fuel use. It’s better for the Earth and strengthens the local food system, all the while allowing New Englanders access to fresher, higher-quality tortillas.

In addition to Jorge and Michael’s commitment to supporting local agriculture, they are committed to supporting their community, both as people and as a business. Michael worked as a farmer for sixteen years on the Food Bank Farm, which he helped establish, to supply food to The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. All farming experience is valuable, but this demonstrates Michael’s longstanding interest in doing good for those around him.

From the very beginning, Mi Tierra designed their distribution system to include donations to Food Pantries and Survival Centers. Fresh, new tortillas are delivered to our Co-op every Friday and anything remaining on the shelf, no matter the sell by date, is donated to hunger relief agencies across Massachusetts, Southern Vermont, and Eastern New York. This is no easy task, but fortunately Mi Tierra has an expert on staff: Jim Levey. Jim is Mi Tierra’s Distribution Manager. He spent more than a decade as a volunteer and driver for the Northampton Survival Center and knows the folks at every food pantry in our entire region. Last year alone, Mi Tierra donated over 17,000 lbs of tortillas, a feat that would not have been possible without Jim.

We love when a principled, generous business is also an excellent example of sustainable growth. Mi Tierra is one of the best examples of this. Mi Tierra moved to a new production facility in 2020 and installed a new, larger oven in 2024, all supported by the amount of business coming in. They welcomed the growth, but admitted that they were nervous when first using their new oven, asking: “Are these going to be the same tortillas as before?” Of course, if they happened to turn out differently in this new oven, they would have invested the time to make adjustments, but happily, the results were excellent! The new oven was actually able to hold a consistently higher temperature, which meant more tortillas passing their rigorous quality-control check. The past ten years have seen steady growth, mostly garnered through word of mouth. To us, that’s an indication of a truly superb product made by good people who have built trust and consistency within their community.

Slow growth means consistent tortilla quality, but it also means a comfortable and supportive environment for employees. The tortillaria and the employees are quite busy, but many have been with Mi Tierra from the very beginning. We always, always take it as a good sign when employees choose to stay with a business for so long, especially when the work itself is demanding. It is not easy to turn corn kernels into tortillas. I saw with my own eyes the care and respect in the environment when, mid-sentence, Jorge paused the interview in order to assist employees moving a stack of boxes. We notice and deeply appreciate that level of attentiveness from a business owner. I felt real warmth talking to everyone and saw the pride they take in their work, earned after years of becoming exceptional at what they do.

We also love when a principled, generous business is producing the best product around. Jorge closed by saying: “People go and try different tortillas, but they always come back to Mi Tierra.”

You can now have Mi Tierra tortillas every Tuesday at our Taco Bar!!

Written by Sarah Galgano