MEXLATIN: A STORY OF ROOTS, COURAGE AND PERSEVERANCE

There are decisions in life that are not made with a calculator in hand, but by listening to the beat of your heart and following that deep conviction that our roots, our memories and our identity always travel with us.

Our story began long before we arrived in France. It began around a family table, surrounded by aromas, flavours, recipes passed down from generation to generation, and that deep-rooted pride we feel for the cuisine of our homeland. Because although distance may separate places, there are things we never leave behind: our traditions, our memories and our love for everything that shaped us.

Our children were the first to pave the way, reconnecting us with our French roots and our dual nationality. Our daughter arrived in France in 2015, followed by our son in 2018. Here, they pursued their studies, specialised in their respective fields and began building their professional futures. Watching them find their feet, overcome obstacles and establish themselves in a society that is also part of our family history was undoubtedly a source of inspiration and pride for us. Above all, their experience gave us the final push we needed to take our own leap of faith and embark on this new chapter of our lives.

Approaching our 60th birthdays, we made a decision that might seem crazy to many: to start an entirely new life in a distant country, build a business from scratch and face the challenge of learning another language, adapting to a different culture and rebuilding our lives.

We must honestly admit something: having spent our younger years studying, broadening our horizons and expressing ourselves confidently in our native language, we thought adapting to another language would be relatively straightforward. Reality taught us otherwise. Learning a language is not simply about memorising words; it means regaining the confidence to express yourself, navigate everyday life, build relationships and feel part of a society once again. At this stage of our lives, the process has been far slower, harder and more demanding than we could ever have imagined.

Towards the end of 2019, we began bringing our business idea to life, navigating France's complex bureaucracy and all the administrative procedures required to open our shop. Finally, against all odds, we managed to open our doors on 1 March 2020. The initial response was extraordinary. For the first time, we could see months of hard work, hopes and sacrifices becoming reality. We felt that everything was finally falling into place.

But life had a challenge in store for us that no one could have anticipated.

On 14 March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought France to a standstill. Just thirteen days after opening our doors, the world came to a halt, and our dreams of prosperity turned overnight into a real nightmare.

We were a brand-new shop. Nobody knew us yet, and we had only just begun building our customer base. The only viable parcel delivery service in our area temporarily suspended operations due to coronavirus infections. A significant quantity of perishable products ended up being thrown away as they reached their expiry dates. Our fixed expenses continued to arrive like clockwork, while sales practically disappeared.

To make matters even worse, due to certain incompatibilities in the eligibility criteria for government assistance, we were unable to benefit from any financial support. We found ourselves confined at home, without income, watching our stock go to waste while financial commitments continued to pile up.

It was one of those moments when you begin to wonder whether you will really make it through. Keeping the business afloat started consuming our savings and our strength at a pace we could never have imagined.

Yet giving up was never something we were prepared to accept easily.

We had to make a second investment, take on further sacrifices and, above all, be patient. Almost two years passed before our shop began to build a solid customer base and gain a degree of recognition. Every new customer, every order and every recommendation meant far more than a sale: they were small victories that reassured us that all our efforts had not been in vain.

From 2022 onwards, new challenges emerged. Inflation, widespread price increases, declining purchasing power and economic difficulties affected our business, just as they did so many other small businesses. And here we are, still standing.

We will not claim that the battle is won, because that would not be true. Being an entrepreneur means precisely that: facing circumstances every day that are not always within our control, adapting, learning from mistakes and finding reasons to keep going, even when the road becomes steep.

Throughout this journey, we have worked tirelessly, personally looking after our customers, listening to their needs, constantly striving to improve and making sure that everyone who comes to us finds something more than just a shop. Over the years, many of our customers have become friends, and that is something no balance sheet could ever truly measure.

That is how MEXLATIN was born, and that is what keeps it going.

Not simply as a business venture, but as an extension of our own home and family table. And today, we have many friends who can bear witness to that. A small bridge between Mexico and France, connecting two cultures that are part of our story and that we deeply love.

Behind every product lies a search; behind every order, hard work; and behind every delivery, a family giving the very best of itself. This shop has demanded sacrifices, early mornings, endless working days, difficult decisions and an enormous capacity to adapt. But it has also brought us valuable lessons, encounters, friendships and the satisfaction of discovering that it is still possible to start again, even when many people think it is already too late.

Because you are never too old to pursue a dream, nor is it ever too late to reinvent yourself. Circumstances may change our plans, but they do not have to take away our determination to keep building our future.

Throughout this journey, our greatest strength has been our family: walking together, supporting one another through uncertain times, celebrating every small achievement and keeping our hopes alive when difficulties seemed overwhelming. Our children, our story and our roots have always been part of the driving force that keeps us moving forward.

Today, we would like to invite you to become part of our MEXLATIN family.

We want you to find in our shop that product you have been missing, your favourite treats, the ingredients for a much-loved traditional recipe, or simply that little piece of Mexico that we sometimes miss so much when living far from home.

And if you have discovered Mexican cuisine here in France or anywhere else in Europe, we would love to share its flavours, diversity and extraordinary cultural richness with you — a culture that also finds its expression around the family table.

Because we know that behind every craving there may be a memory; behind every recipe, a family story; and behind every flavour, an emotion that takes us back to a place, a person or a moment we will always carry in our hearts.

Today, as we look back, we know the journey has not been easy. Our story is simply the testimony of a family that dared to start again, that stumbled, that felt afraid, that picked itself up once more and continues working with the same enthusiasm and hope we felt on that very first day.

To everyone who has accompanied us along the way, trusted us, placed an order, recommended us to others or simply taken a few minutes to get to know us: THANK YOU.

Every customer who puts their trust in MEXLATIN becomes part of this story. And every time someone receives our products and enjoys a taste of Mexico, we feel that a little piece of our hard work has reached their home too.

MEXLATIN is much more than a Mexican food shop. It is a story of family, roots, dreams and perseverance.

Because the flavours of our homeland may cross borders, but the heart always knows where home is.

Thank you for being part of our family!

💚🤍❤️ 🇲🇽 MEXLATIN.net 🇫🇷