HISTORY
Since 1979 Tomas and Maria Silva from Aguascalientes, Mexico have owned EBM and presently they together with their three children manage and operate the business.
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It all started in a 800sq ft store offering only dry Mexican groceries and tortillas, 1 cash register, and a van in which Tomas would use on weekends to go to Chicago to load up on merchandise. Tomas and Maria struggled to get their first loan, with support from community Latino professionals, they were able to obtain their first $10,000 to begin their mercado (market). Both Tomas and Maria held other jobs during the beginning years of the business taking turns covering at the market and taking the kids with them on the weekends. |
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Tomas and Maria are from Aguascalientes, Mexico originally, a state once known for its hot springs, today it’s a very industrial and fast growing state. Tomas Silva comes from a very humble ‘rancho’ or town where most of his life he lived in poverty and very poor conditions. He was the oldest of three siblings and worked since he was a very young child to help his mother get food for them to eat. Tomas learned at a very young age that one must work hard in order to survive, he has overcome many obstacles in life, and he is grateful everday for the blessings he has. As Tomas grew older, his way of income was to sell things, mostly food; he sold tamales, roasted corn, esquite (cooked corn kernels), among other things. He self taught himself how to sell, what to sell, and how to manage it. He became quite the entrepeneur! Tomas was the first in MN to bring out a corn roaster and prepare them Mexican style at festivals and outside the marketplace. He now has three corn roasters which are busy all summer at festivals and events such as Grand Ol Days, Lumber Jack Days, Taste of MN, Cinco de Mayo, and of course every weekend outside the business! For information on Tomas bringing the corn roaster to your event, please contact Tomas Jr, tomas@elburritomercado.com |
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Maria Silva is also from Aguascalientes migrated to the states with her family since she was 10yr old. She is second to the youngest of nine siblings, most of her siblings worked as migrant workers in beet fields in MN and also travelled to Colorado. Maria helped mostly with caring for her nieces and nephews and doing the housework. As she was exposed to the Mexican cooking of her mother and older sisters, she found she really had a passion for the kitchen and began experimenting with it, she would take any cookbooks she could get her hands on! Maria overcame distinct obstacles than Tomas, she endured through times of racism and discrimination, poverty, but her perservience kept her moving ahead; she attended Mechanical School of Arts High School where she was indulged in many ‘home ec’ type classes. As an adult she has attended classes , workshops, and seminars for business management and accounting. Maria still oversees the quality of the food, and is an advisor for the management team, she also makes regular trips to Mexico for purchases of the Mexican fine art and folk art which you will find adorns the marketplace and which creatively & vibrantly are merchandised for you to purchase. During her free time, she spends time with her seven grandchildren, her nurtures her Victorian gardens, and volunteers at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church where she is an active member. |
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Tomas and Maria met in Aguascalientes during one of Maria’s family returns from the states and married. They have three children, Milissa, Tomas and Suzanne, all involved with the business. Milissa oversees marketing, advertising, special events, and catering. (Milissa was recently recognized as a 2009 recipient of 25 on the Rise!) Tomas manages daily operations and directs the marketplace supervisor team, Suzanne is point of contact for administration regarding human resources, accounts payables/receivables, and other administrative services. Although, because it’s a family managed business… they also stock shelves, clean restrooms, sweep floors and cashier as the needs of the business demand they truly wear ALL the hats!
