bake - March 2013 - Pan - 46

PROFILES

Jose
Jimenez
Staying true to what made your bakery successful
from the start remains a critical component to the longterm growth of any business. Yet branching out into new
directions is another important aspect of driving new
sales for the bakery.
In the Chicagoland, one panadería that exemplifies a
balancing act of these two business approaches is Jose
Jimenez Grocery, which operates 10 bakeries across the
metropolitan area under the name La Perla Tapatia.
The Jimenez bakery business has grown steadily
since owner Jose Jimenez opened his first food store
in Chicago in 1975 and first bakery in 1979 on North
Avenue. The Jimenez family originally came to the
United States from the Mexican state of Jalisco.
Carlos Estrada, who manages bakery production
for all locations, spends his days monitoring the quality
control at the 10 bakeries and staying on the lookout for
notable trends that will keep their business going strong
for many years ahead.
One key trend lately he’s identified is that the demographic makeup of locations like their Chicago store on
West Fullerton is changing. Bakery shoppers are becoming
more diverse, and many different cultures are coming in
to shop their store. As a result, customers are seeking out
different styles of decorated cakes and pastries, beyond the
traditional Hispanic products. “A lot of different people
like different decorations,” Estrada says.
One signature product at La Perla
Tapatia is the upside-down cupcake. The
bakers here take a large cupcake and turn
it over prior to adding decorations like
chocolate drizzle and Bavarian cream
on top.
In other cases, they leave the cupcake
with the crown side up and decorate the
top with chocolate frosting, colored sprinkles and Oreo cookies. There are dozens
of different examples at La Perla Tapatia.
Loaf cakes are another product that

MARCH 13

PANADERIA

Jose Jimenez/La Perla Tapatia
3800 W. Fullerton Ave. • Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 235-5016 • Carlos Estrada, Bakery manager

is gaining popularity here, which is further evidence that
their customer base is changing. Loaf cakes are not as
traditional to Hispanic bakeries as other types of cakes.
Yet at La Perla Tapatia, loaf cakes in flavors like chocolate
or raspberry are selling fast. “We have lots of business,”
Estrada says. “Business is very good now.”
From BakeMark, La Perla Tapatia’s bakery supplier,
they depend on high-quality ingredients and mixes to
make hundreds of different bakery products. These include
quarter-sheet and round cakes in flavors like coconut,
pecan and chocolate. La Perla Tapatia’s single-layer cakes
are ample in size – roughly twice the size of the layers
you’d find in a typical bakery.
Value is very important to customers who shop at La
Perla Tapatia, according to Estrada. People want new and
interesting flavors, but they also want to know that they
are buying high quality products at a reasonable price.
For this reason, the bakery features packaged cookies
in various flavors for less than $5 a dozen. The cookie
packages are merchandised on a large display rack across
from the front sales counter.
For La Perla Tapatia, their secret to success continues
to depend on offering traditional Hispanic breads and
pastries that regular customers know and love, but also
reaching out to new types of shoppers with interesting
flavors and eye-catching cakes, cookies and pastries.

bake - March 2013

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