Mi Rancho was a Mexican grocery store, opened in 1939. They later specialized in making tortillas. 2
The first owner was a woman named Consuelo Cobian, and the first location was on 7th Street near Broadway roughly where the Oakland Police headquarters is today. In 1939, they moved across the street into the former Central Pacific Railroad Depot which was being used as the Southern Pacific IER "red train" stop. In the 1930s a growing Mexican and Latino population lived in the area and in nearby West Oakland this according to some historian and older residents was the very First Mexican Grocery store in Oakland that opened up to cater to the Mexican Latino Community of the time who lacked proper stores that sold products from Latin America.
1954 Mi Rancho was sold to Robert Berber and expanded to selling fresh Mexican food and expanded as a tortilla factory. Mi Rancho continued to serve as a grocery store until 1999 when it closed and switched to tortilla production only.
But Mi Rancho played an important part in the early history of the Mexican Ccommunity in West Oakland as it was the first Mexican grocery store in Oakland.
Not to be confused with Mi Rancho Supermarket chain, founded in 1994.
Links and References
- ohrphoto.dpoa1.025 Oakland History Center
- Mi Rancho - Our Story
- Historic Preservation Element Oakland General Plan