Tortilleria y Panadería

“LA FORTALEZA”

There’s a moment of realization that comes over every small business owner when the thought of turning a hobby into a profession seems less like a crazy notion and more like a tangible idea.

For Ms. Floridalma Velasquez, that moment arrived when she realized that she could no longer depend on her job working for others to provide for her family.

So after years of crafting her skills, which eventually led her to become certified in cake decorating and desserts in 2009, it occurred to Ms. Velasquez that perhaps her longtime love of baking could be more than a personal hobby. And, after deciding to take a chance, she opened La Fortaleza Tortilleria y Panadería, which has slowly morphed from an idea into a renown Bakery and Tortilla producing business that has been providing a variety of home-made traditional breads, hand-made corn tortillas, flour tortillas, variety of pizzas, and has also been catering for special events (Sweet Sixteen Parties, Weddings, Birthdays), offering cakes and desserts, to the locals of Guinea Grass village, Orange Walk District.

Being the first of its kind to offer such products in the small village of about 5,000, it became evident that opening a bakery brought its own set of unique challenges, stresses, and rewards to the first-time entrepreneur; all of which Ms. Velasquez welcomed in strides. Notwithstanding, the company thrived and Ms. Velasquez made a commitment early on to add value to its business through its delivery services, utilizing the business’s close proximity to its customer by making it convenient for customers to have their products at their doorstep, while engaging her customers and encouraging new visitors to her store

With 65% market share in Guinea Grass, La Fortaleza Tortilleria y Panadería’s ultimate goal is to grow their business in the future, selling in the Orange Walk District as well as the surrounding villages such as Shipyard, August Pine Ridge, San Lazaro, Trinidad, San Felipe and Tower Hill. A venture , which she hopes to achieve, with the assistance of SBDCBelize, where she was able to formalize her business, develop a Business Plan, develop financial projections, and acquire funding through the Development Finance Cooperation for the purpose of expansion. Ms. Floridalma Velasquez has been a respective client of SBDCBelize since March of 2014.

Contact Information

Phone: 601-4460, 607-1312/635-9880

E-mail: lafortaleza68@gmail.com

The business opens from

• Monday to Friday from 7:00am to 12:00pm
• Saturdays from 1:00pm to 6:00pm
• Sundays from 9:00am to 2:00pm, and in the evenings from 4:00pm to 9:00 pm

Bakery Products include:

• Cinnamon roll
• Capricho
• Muffins
• Coconut Crust
• Cupcakes
• Ham and cheese croissant
• French bread

Pizzas:

• Mushroom Pizza- 6 inch
• Mushroom Pizza- 10 inch
• Hawaiian Pizza- 8 inch
• Hawaiian Pizza- 10 inch
• Vegetable Pizza- 10 Inch

Specialty Cakes

• Pineapple upside down cake
• Tres leches Cake
• Birthday Cakes
• Wedding Cakes

Pies:

• Lemon pie
• Coconut pie

Tortilla Products:

• Corn tortillas per lbs
• Flour tortillas $1 x 5