Journeys of Women in Business: Imelda Cirilo of Nana’s Ollas
Oregonian entrepreneur Imelda Cirilo built a business that honors family recipes from the mountains of Guerrero. "I am passionate about food of all kinds," Imelda shares.
For years she worked at another job, always bringing homemade food that her colleagues praised and encouraged her to sell. But it was after the loss of her mother that she found her true purpose. "My mom was a woman who loved cooking and had a special gift for creating unique flavors. So this is a tribute to her and her love for cooking," she explains.
Imelda had a clear vision from the beginning: she didn't want to be just another business in the market. Her goal was to bring authentic food from Guerrero prepared in an artisanal way. “Mexican food is not just tacos. We have a variety of traditional food that has been passed down from generation to generation in my family that is quite different.”
In 2019, after living in Oregon for more than twenty years and considering the project for 10 years, she finally enrolled in the Empresas and Cocinemos programs at Adelante Mujeres where she learned the basics of entrepreneurship. She used her knowledge from the programs to start Nana's Ollas, a family business where even her children help during their vacations and on weekends. Nana's Ollas offers authentic Mexican vegan food without compromising traditional flavor. Each dish is prepared with fresh and local ingredients. "Vegan food reflects my community in Guerrero because people there eat more vegetables than meat," she explains. "There are people who have said: 'I had never seen Mexican vegan food here in the market.' Hearing this makes me happy because I am vegan. I have variety for all audiences: food with meat, vegan food, and vegetarian food.”
Starting her business just before the COVID-19 pandemic seemed like the worst possible timing. "I regretted it afterwards because the pandemic came," Imelda admits. "Every event I had booked was cancelled." Many businesses didn’t survive that first year, but Imelda persevered and started selling at local farmers markets. There she faced new challenges: competition, restrictions on allowed products, and the constant need for adaptation. "I had to modify my menu," she explains. "But my food is authentic, prepared with love and respects family recipes."
Always attentive to her customers' needs, Imelda noticed that people returned specifically for her salsas. "People would come back sometimes just for the salsa. And they would say, 'can you sell me the salsa?'" Her special salsa is completely original, an invention she developed combining her culinary creativity with fresh ingredients. Enhanced with seeds and nuts for greater nutritional value, it has a distinctive flavor. "It's smoky, it's sweet, it's very different," she describes. She currently works with the Adelante Mujeres market access team to develop this product as an independent line.
When asked about the strategies that have helped her overcome difficult days, Imelda shares her practical wisdom: "Always make sure that fresh food doesn't spoil. In markets where I know not much is sold, I cook very little. I always go small, without rush.” This careful planning, combined with her natural perseverance, has helped her navigate the uncertainties of entrepreneurship.
For women who dream of starting a business but are hesitant, Imelda shares, "You have to take the step. Because, if not, you’ll always wonder what would have happened? You learn along the way. Knock on doors. Some close, others open. You have to work for that. You have to insist.”
Currently, Imelda is considering an important decision: leaving her job at a school to dedicate herself completely to growing Nana's Ollas and launching her salsa line. It's a decision that requires courage, but her trajectory demonstrates her ability to turn challenges into opportunities.
"If an opportunity comes, you have to take advantage of it," she says with the confidence of someone who has learned to build on solid foundations.
Imelda exemplifies how family traditions, love for cooking, and artisanal preparation, combined with determination and community support, can create something meaningful and lasting. Nana's Ollas offers delicious food, and it also connects cultures and preserves traditions.