Dona Maria Mole, Dona Maria Nopalitos & Prepared Meals

History of the first years of Dona Maria Products

Dona Maria Pons accompanied by her husband Don Pedro Degetau they began producing and selling edible Mexican products in 1945. Dona Maria she urge of creating something, but her spirit of enterprise, creative capacity and dynamism were all directed to the management of the dinning room at the Hotel Progreso, in San Luis Potosi, S.L.P Mexico inheritance of the family that became the most famous Mexican and French restaurant from the center of the Mexican Republic. Adverse situations have always been resource generators of ideas, inventions and realizations; Dona Maria could not be the exception to this rule. Dona Maria Pons always had in mind to solve that presented itself every Sunday in the Hotel Progreso: How to make the right amount of mole needed. However she was unable to perform her idea until circumstances forced her, because in a critical economical situation they had to reside in Potrero/ Real de Catorce, S.L.P and in that place Dona Maria was able to devote all of her time to develop her ideas of stews and Mexican preserves. Thus initiating the products that later would be sold to restaurants and particulars, with an always ascending demand in the city of San Luis Potosi.

They sought the advice of Don Ignacio Hernandez del Castillo, who was Dona Maria's brother in law, and he suggested they should be industrialize and of course obtain a trade mark that in the last minute they decided on the Dona Maria. Already with the brand, it gradually made its way into the San Luis Potosi market, in Mexico, in Tampico, Monterrey and some cities in the North and other from the Northern Pacific Coast. So it came to be that from Don Pedro's hand mill that he personally operated, it was moved on into electric mills and from producing hundreds of kilos in a continuous growth, it was in 1955 when the construction of the building housing the first plant began, having invited Don Ignacio Hernandez del Castillo to put the last stone of the construction and a new stage that would lead it to reach 100 tons of production began.

The first only product that was produced, was the mole Poblano powder that appeared for sale in a cellophane bag, placed inside a flexible box in two small sizes: Later Grounded Ancho Chile was bottled and in 1951 the manufacture of their star product was begun, Mole Pasta. A little bit later the pipian, and adobo hit the market, and later Mole Verde, continuing with the hot sauce, chile piquin and tamalina. It wasn't until the 60s when they released into the market the line of pickled and tender nopalitos. By 1967 mass production surpassed the amount of 600 tons annually, but it wasn't selling much in Mexico City and in many other cities in the Mexican Republic.

1968 was a very important year for Dona Maria, since her Company was fully acquired by her brother in law Don Ignacio with his sons Nacho and Enrique, in order to be part of HERDEZ Group, which mean receiving advice, production systems and efficient equipment and above all that the Dona Maria's products would be sold in the HERDEZ sales organization, with sales increasing to selling in a month what they used to sell in six. In 1971 the labels were redesigned and other new products were realized such as: Guava and quince paste, Chongos (dessert made from milk curds, served in syrup) and the Cajeta (milk caramel).

In 1972 a mill with large dimensions was acquired, which made what three mills and a mixer did together. A continuous chile fryer was built in 1973 as well as new sesame seed and peanut toasters, reaching the production of 4000 tons in 1973. It kept growing year after year until selling more than 10,000 tons annually and be by far the world's leading traditional Mexican food Company, such as: Mole, Mole Verde, Pipian and Adobo.

Today Dona Maria has gone even further in making authentic meals very easy to enjoy. Mole is still sold in a glass jar, but if you don't want to spend time diluting the Mole paste, then Dona Maria Mole ready to serve in a tetra pack makes it easy for you to make Mole Poblano, just open, heat and serve over chicken, beef or turkey or make delicious enmoladas. However if you don't feel like making Mole, but want to enjoy an authentic Mexican meal in minutes, then pop in the microwave Dona Maria's prepared meals: Chicken in Mole Sauce, Pork in Salsa Verde and Meatballs in Chipotle Sauce for delicious Mexican meals, without the hassle of having to make them from scratch.

Historia de los primeros Anos de Productos Dona Maria

Dona Maria Pons en compania de su esposo Don Pedro Degetau empezaron a producir y vender productos comestibles Mexicanos en 1945. Dona Maria sentia la inquietud de crear algo, pero su espiritu de empresa, capacidad creadora y dinamismo quedaban traducidos al manejo del comedor del Hotel Progreso, en San Luis Potosi, S.L.P Mexico heredad de la familia que llego a ser el mas famoso restaurante de comida Mexicana y Francesa del centro de la Republica Mexicana. Las situaciones adversas siempre han sido generadoras de recursos y de ideas, de inventos y realizaciones y el Mole Dona Maria no podia sustraerse a esta regla. Dona Maria Pons siempre tuvo en mente solucionar el problema que domingo a domingo se presentaba en el Hotel Progreso: Concias la obligaron, pues en critica situacion economica tuvieron que radicar en Potrero / Real de Catorce, S.L.P. y en ese lugar Dona Maria pudo dedicar todo su tiempo a desarrollar sus ideas de guisos y conservas Mexicanas, iniciando asi los productos que mas tarde se venderian a restaurantes y particulares con una demanda siempre en orden ascendente en la ciudad de San Luis Potosi.

Asi las cosas buscaron la asesoria de Don Ignacio Hernandez del Castillo, cunado de Dona Maria, quien les sugiria industrializarlo y desde luego registrar una marca que en el ultimo momento se decidieron por la de Dona Maria. Ya con la marca, poco a poco se fue abriendo mercado en San Luis Potosi, en Mexico, en Tampico, en Monterrey, en algunas ciudades del Norte y otras de la costa del Pacifico. Fue asi que del molino de mano que personalmente operaba Don Pedro, se paso a molinos electricos y de producir cientos de kilos en un crecimiento continuo, fue en 1955 cuando se inicio la construccion del edificio donde se ubico la primera planta, habiendo invitado a Don Ignacio Hernandez del Castillo a que colocara la ultima piedra de la obra y se iniciara una nueva etapa que la llevara alcanzar 100 toneladas de produccion.

El primero y unico producto que se elaboraba, era el mole poblano en polvo que se presentaba a la venta en una bolsa de celofan, colocada dentro de una cajilla plegadiza en dos tamanos pequenos, despues se empezo a envasar: Chile Ancho Molido y en 1951 se inicia la fabricacion del producto estrella, el Mole en Pasta, un poco despues salieron al mercado el Pipian, el Adobo y mas tarde el Mole Verde, continuando con la Salsa Picante, Chile Piquin y Tamalina y fue hasta los anos 60 cuando lanzaron al mercado la linea de nopalitos en escabeche y Nopalitos Tiernos. Ya para 1967 la produccion del mole sobrepaso la cantidad de 600 toneladas anuales, pero casi no se vendia en la ciudad de Mexico y en muchas otras ciudades de la Republica.

En 1968 fue para Dona Maria una fecha sumamente importante, ya que su empresa fue totalmente adquirida por su cunado Don Ignacio con sus hijos Nacho y Enrique para asi pasar a formar parte del Grupo HERDEZ, lo que significo recibir asesoria, sistemas de produccion y equipo eficiente y sobre todo que los productos Dona Maria se vendieran en la organizacion de ventas de la HERDEZ, creciendo las ventas a vender en un mes lo que se vendia en 6 meses. En 1971 se redisenaron las etiquetas y se lanzaron otros productos nuevos como los Ates de Guayaba y Membrillo, los chongos y la cajeta.

En 1972 se adquirio un molino de grandes dimensiones que lograba hacer los de tres molinos y una mezcladora juntos. En 1973 se construyo una freidora continua de chiles, y se adquirieron nuevos tostadores de ajonjoli y cacahuate alcanzando la produccion de 4,000 toneladas en 1973. Asi siguio creciendo an~o con an~o hasta vender mas de 10,000 toneladas anuales y por mucho ser la empresa lider mundial de productos alimenticios Mexicanos tipicos, como son: mole, mole verde, pipian y adobo.

Video El Mole simbolo de Mexicanidad a partir del siglo XIX hasta la receta de Dona Maria por Fundacion Herdez