“Tortilla lady” learned hard work in Pflugerville

“Tortilla lady” learned hard work in Pflugerville

Written by Pamela Stephenson Thursday, 07 September 2006

Ernestine Guajardo Galindo learned, at an early age, the importance of a strong work ethic. At the age of seven, her father, Eliseo Guajardo, moved from Mexico with his parents. The Guajardos, like many of the first Mexican families to move to Pflugerville, were fleeing the effects of the Mexican Revolution and the infamous revolutionary Pancho Villa.

Growing up on a Kuempel farm just outside Pflugerville, Galindo received her first years of schooling at Center Point and the Mexican School in Pflugerville. She and her siblings, five sisters and two brothers often enrolled in school late and withdrew early to help their father work in the cotton fields. In the off seasons, Galindo’s father refused to accept financial loans from his patron, instead finding work wherever he could, bartering for meat and, when necessary, killing rabbits or squirrels to feed his family. He told his children, “When you know how to work, you’ll never go hungry.” As a young teen, Galindo spent off seasons working with her uncle, Joe Guajardo, at his grocery store in Austin. She enjoyed working in a business atmosphere and had a good head for figures and management.

Ernestine married Thomas Galindo, Jr. in 1954, and began to learn her husband’s family business. When her father-in-law retired, Galindo joined her husband and brother-in-law in the family owned and operated El Fenix tortilla business. She met with resistance when she wanted to expand the business, but recalled her father’s advice, “Daughter, if you want something in life…don’t sit and wait for it…you go get it.” She and Thomas bought out her brother-in-law’s share and renamed the business El Galindo. She took the business from 25 employees to about 170 people and transformed a local company into an internationally recognized success. She was the first to take her tortillas to New York City, as well as other new markets, and expanded the products the company produced.

After 35 years in the business, Galindo retired in 1996. Known fondly as the “Tortilla Lady,” Galindo continues to encourage young women and men to follow their dreams.

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