Farm-To-Tortilla
In Mexico, at the heart of every community is the tortilleria. Chancho brings that authentic, small-town feeling to Vancouver’s Commercial Drive neighbourhood.
— The Corn Makes The Tortilla —
We want to create an experience that is authentic to the small-town Mexican tradition of using nixtamalization to make tortillas from scratch using native or ancient, corn. We go to great lengths to source only the best corn.
Nixtamalization is a process for the preparation of maize in which the corn is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution, usually limewater, washed, and then ground. The product that comes out of it is called nixtamal masa.
Our corn is imported directly from Mexico and is sourced from 32 different Indigenous communities in Oaxaca.
We love using this corn in our tortillas because it has never been genetically modified and the varieties are not found anywhere else in the world.
It also helps Indigenous farmers continue to make a living by growing the corn that has nourished their communities for millennia.
When the corn makes it to Chancho we nixtamalize it, soak it, grind it and mix into masa, which is a dough of corn and water. We don’t use any flour or any additives, just amazing corn.
Our tortilla machine, which is common to small Mexican towns, rolls out and bakes the tortillas.
We go through this process daily, rotating through different corn varieties with each batch. A yellow corn variety one day and a blue one the next day. Each batch of tortillas has its own distinct flavour and texture.
If you’re curious about the origins of your tortilla you can look at our menu board where we list the region, community, elevation and family that grew the corn you are eating.
What’s really beautiful about our tortillas is that you get to enjoy the simple pleasure of an authentic tortilla and help small farming communities uphold an ancient tradition.
Fresh tortillas are Available For Pickup Every Day at 12:00 pm. Order online here.
For wholesale inquiries, please contact us.