We had the good fortune of connecting with Rosalba Mann and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rosalba, what inspires you?

My inspiration comes from nature and our culture; all I have to do is open my eyes and look around me. For example, our new Horchata con Fresas paleta was inspired by an agua fresca.

La Michoacana is inspired by Mexican traditions and recipes from artisan paleterias across Mexico. La Michoacana wants to share the flavors of Mexico and the paleteria experience in each of our paletas. That’s why our ice cream bars and frozen fruit bars are so indulging and refreshing because we keep them authentic with real fruit, dairy, and inclusions.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

My desire to learn new things started as a regular job at La Michoacana over 20 years ago. After falling in love with the process and magic behind what it takes to make a paleta, I quickly realized I wanted to learn more. I became involved in procurement, planning, production, food safety, and finally, five years ago settling into the R&D role.

Getting to where I am today was not easy, but I only realize that now. With every challenge, La Michoacana learned something new that allows us to succeed. A critical personal lesson learned is that there are experts for every problem. Others have already gone through similar challenges, you simply need to reach out to industry resources and pose the question, and you’ll find guidance. One person can’t know it all, but one person can reach out to solve it all.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I want to share what the Central Valley is comprised of, from natural attractions to core agricultural industries. So my tour would include a tour to the largest wine company in the world – E&J Gallo. Depending on the time of the year, I would also take them around to see orchards and production facilities for some of the products that are only grown in the central valley like walnuts, olives, peaches, and sweet rice. As the largest dairy producer, a tour of a local dairy is a must. The valley is also home to our La Michoacana ice cream-making facilities, so I’d personally give them a tour as well. Finally, we’d visit the natural attractions like our beaches, giant sequoias, and national parks. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Throughout the years I have met so many people, and as I age I recognize that I’ve learned something from every one of them. Even if the experiences weren’t positive, they left me with a lesson. However, the people that really make a difference in my life are my seven sisters. My sisters have been with me every step of the way, believing in me in days when even I didn’t believe in myself. My sisters give me the strength and the courage to always be the best that I can be. Every lesson learned, I apply every day when ideating and producing La Michoacana paletas.

La Michoacana paletas, however, are not ideated and produced by just one person, they are a collective effort from La Michoacana team, so with that, I’d like to give a shoutout to #PLMteam.

Website: www.michoacana.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/lamichoacanaytu

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/lamichoacanaytu

Twitter: www.twitter.com/lamichoacanaytu

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lamichoacanaytu

Other: TikTok: @LaMichoacanaYtu

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.