Walking into any of the three family-owned Los Portales Supermarkets feels like stepping into a neighborhood market in Mexico. There’s the scent of fresh bread from the panadería, meats are custom cut at the carnicería and warm tortillas are stacked at the tortillería. And there are Mexican fruits and vegetables. Don’t speak Spanish? That’s OK. All 100 employees at Los Portales Supermarkets are bilingual.
What began as a small tienda Mexicana on Kerr Avenue in Wilmington has grown into three Latino international markets. Brothers Miguel and Ramón Villaseñor have built the business together, and they said they are committed to quality, authenticity and community.
Born and raised in Degollado, Mexico, the brothers came to Wilmington in 1999.
“It was hard to find food from our country,” Miguel Villaseñor said. “There were no tortillas or the kinds of cheese that we liked. I asked myself how we would survive in this country.”
It didn’t take long for Miguel Villaseñor to notice others in the community searching for the flavors of their Mexican hometowns. In 2003, the brothers opened their first supermarket stocked with traditional Mexican products. Since then, the Villaseñors moved the store three times to its current location on South Kerr Avenue, which remains the No. 1 of the three supermarkets.
Last July, the Villaseñors opened a second location on North College Road.
“Kerr Avenue was packed; parking was packed. There is always a lot going on in that area,” Miguel Villaseñor said. “I wanted a bigger and nicer store, and we were finally in a position to afford the investment.”
Then the brothers expanded again, purchasing land and building a third store, which opened in February, from the ground upoff Carolina Beach Road at 9 Sunnyvale Drive.
Over the years, the product mix has evolved from only Mexican food to products from Latino countries spanning Argentina to Mexico. “Customers ask, we bring in authentic products, word spreads and we get more requests for more items,” Miguel Villaseñor said of the growing inventory.
All of the Los Portales Supermarkets offer similar traditional Mexican and Latino food, including artisan products made daily in the panadería Mexicana, the Mexican bakery. “Bread in Mexico is not like American bread. American bread is sweet. Ours is not that sweet, and you can tell the difference. The texture is different, and we use no preservatives,” Miguel Villaseñor said.
He said the bakers are masters of working with their hands and making bread in various shapes. “We bake today to sell today,” Miguel Villaseñor added, noting that bread is the most popular item in the stores next to tres leches cake. “We sell a lot of cakes,” he said.
At the carnicería, the meat market, customers find a truly Mexican experience. “We eat meat differently in Mexico,” Miguel Villaseñor said. “You choose the part of the cow you want; we slice, chop or grind it however you want it. We share recipes with customers, including what meat and vegetables to purchase.”
At the tortillería, fresh tortillas are handmade from two ingredients: Maseca flour and water. “No preservatives,” Miguel Villaseñor said.
Most of the vegetables are sourced from Mexico, while grocery items come from Honduras, Brazil and Colombia through a local company that handles the imports. Popular Latino brands like Barcel and FUD fill the shelves. Every store is complete with nostalgic Mexican candy. “We like everything a little hot, so we put chili in everything, even candy. We always use cane sugar and flavors like mango and pineapple,” Miguel Villaseñor said. “It’s for our kids. We want our kids to be introduced to these candies.”
Any visit to a Los Portales Supermarket is also an opportunity to take home dinner. There is rotisserie chicken, carnitas, barbacoa and more. “We make a different dish every day, all fresh,” said Miguel Villaseñor.
The supermarkets also offer money transfer, bill payment and check cashing services.
“We wire money to family members in Mexico. We are very responsible that the money gets to the family,” Miguel Villaseñor said.
What’s most fun? When asked, Miguel Villaseñor smiled and said, “When I see I can help customers, I feel proud and happy.”
Ramón Villaseñor agreed.
“Witnessing the community’s support and feeling proud of the dedication and hard work that our entire team has invested in the business brings me the most joy,” he said.
The Villaseñors will take a break from expansion for a while, maybe just one year or so. But they are already looking ahead – toward Leland.
