Overview: Rep. Pete Aguilar visits Anita’s Mexican Foods, a local manufacturer grappling with rising costs due to tariffs, war in Iran, and increased operational prices. Aguilar vows to address these issues and improve California’s air quality.
Ellen Perrault
Rep. Pete Aguilar who represents California’s 33rd congressional district recently visited Anita’s Mexican Foods, a local family-owned manufacturer of tortilla chips, taco shells, and rolled chips, which has faced rising costs and supply chain issues caused by tariffs, the war with Iran and increased operational and equipment prices.
As a private-label and co-pack manufacturer, Anita’s is absorbing much of the impact of higher production expenses, putting significant pressure on its business.
“For decades, Anita’s has sold and distributed their products to grocery stores and restaurants throughout California and beyond,” said Aguilar. “But now, rising costs from tariffs, the ongoing war with Iran and expensive machinery are hitting Anita’s hard. From diesel for delivery trucks, the packaging for tortilla chips, to the ovens used to bake their products, everything is costing more for Anita’s.”
Aguilar said he is committed to not only working to lower prices, but to also improve California’s air quality, roll back reckless tariffs and end the conflict in the Middle East.
“Anita’s Mexican Foods Corp. is currently experiencing notable financial pressure due to ongoing market volatility, particularly the increase in diesel fuel prices driven by global oil market conditions and geopolitical factors,” said Jackie Robles, President, Anita’s Mexican Foods.
Robles further explained how the rising fuel costs have led to higher transportation and distribution expenses, which are difficult to absorb and cannot be easily passed on to their customers.
“We estimate that elevated fuel prices are impacting our business by more than $37,000 per month, Robles continued. While there are indications that prices may moderate over time, the current environment continues to present meaningful challenges for our operations.”
Although Robles stressed their company will remain committed to managing these pressures responsibly; he further noted how sustained cost increases of this nature place a strain on the company’s ability to operate efficiently and maintain competitive pricing.”