George Puentes, co-founder of Don Pancho tortillas in Salem, dies at 76

Capi Lynn, Salem Statesman Journal
Updated ·5 min read

George Puentes, a co-founder of Don Pancho Authentic Mexican Foods, died Oct. 13 at his home in Hailey, Idaho, after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 76.

Puentes and his wife, Stephanie, moved from Salem to the Idaho resort town in July 2020. She was with him when he passed, according to a statement from the family. They were married for 27 years.

"George was a mentor, advocate, son, husband, father, brother and a friend to so many," the statement said. "Those who were lucky enough to know George well with miss that charismatic smile, his incessant teasing and his bad jokes."

George Puentes, pictured in 2010 after Don Pancho Authentic Mexican Foods was named Business of the Year by the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, died on Oct. 13. He was 76.
George Puentes, pictured in 2010 after Don Pancho Authentic Mexican Foods was named Business of the Year by the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, died on Oct. 13. He was 76.

Friends and colleagues mourned his passing from near and far.

The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce asked for a moment of silence earlier this week before its forum speaker series luncheon.

The Tortilla Industry Association, based in Arlington, Virginia, posted his photograph and a link to his obituary on the front page of its website.

Puentes was considered a pioneer in the tortilla baking industry, and the Don Pancho brand has long been a food staple in Salem and across the Mid-Valley, Oregon and West Coast.

The Tortilla Industry Association inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2011. The Oregon Historical Society awarded him an Oregon History Makers Medal in 2015 for positively shaping the history, culture and landscape of Oregon.

Puentes served on the Salem City Council in the mid-1990s and once ran unsuccessfully for mayor. He was president of the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce from July 2002 through June 2003.

He and his company received numerous awards, including 2004 Salem First Citizen and 2010 Business of the Year from the chamber, and 2006 Manufacturer of the Year from SEDCOR.

George Puentes shares the stage with President George W. Bush in August 2004 at Southridge High School in Beaverton, talking about how the president's tax cuts helped him reinvest in his tortilla making business.
George Puentes shares the stage with President George W. Bush in August 2004 at Southridge High School in Beaverton, talking about how the president's tax cuts helped him reinvest in his tortilla making business.

Puentes was proud to be a guest of President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush at the White House on two occasions, which family said were a few of his favorite memories.

He was deeply committed to helping advance the lives of local young people, helping establish the George Puentes Jr. Memorial Scholarship at Chemeketa Community College in memory of his son, a first-year law student at Willamette University when he died in 1994.

The scholarship is available to Hispanic/Latino students who reside in the Chemeketa District, are bilingual in English/Spanish, and are enrolled full time and maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA.

The Chemeketa Foundation reports 174 students have received $302,000 in scholarships to date.

Celebrating his heritage was important to Puentes. He and his family sponsored an animal on Salem's Riverfront Carousel, and Pancho the elephant made its debut in 2015 on the platform.

The elephant is named Pancho after his father, Francisco "Pancho" Puentes. The colors and symbols used in the design represent the family, its heritage and its business.

Pancho made his debut on the carousel in January 2015.
Pancho made his debut on the carousel in January 2015.

Puentes may be best known for helping turn a small tortilla company in Salem, Oregon, into a nationwide industry leader of Mexican food products.

After serving three years in the United States Air Force and graduating from San Jose State University, he began his professional career with Del Monte Foods in the Bay Area before joining the family business.

He and three of his brothers established a craft tortilla baking company in Salem in 1979, pulling from the experience of their father and other relatives who had been making the flat bread for years.

They called their business Puentes Brothers Inc. and their goods Don Pancho tortillas. They quickly made their presence felt by competitors at established McMinnville and Beaverton plants.

"You don't have to be a Mexican to make a good tortilla, but it helps," George Puentes said in a Statesman Journal story published May 12, 1979.

George Puentes, second from the left, is photographed with three of his brothers for a story that published in the May 12, 1979, Statesman Journal. They had recently launched Puentes Brothers Inc. and started making Don Pancho tortillas in Salem, Oregon.
George Puentes, second from the left, is photographed with three of his brothers for a story that published in the May 12, 1979, Statesman Journal. They had recently launched Puentes Brothers Inc. and started making Don Pancho tortillas in Salem, Oregon.

Within a couple of years, the brothers had grown out of their original space and opened a store and bakery. A May 17, 1981, headline in the Statesman trumpeted their early success: "Puentes firm's tortillas selling like hotcakes."

They continued to grow their operation, supplying more restaurants and more grocery stores.

In 2004, Reser's Fine Foods acquired the company, which continued to operate independently and as a separate entity.

Don Pancho invested $1.3 million in equipment and technology in 2006, increasing production by 25% and enabling it to make more than 3 million corn and flour tortillas per day. Within five years, the company had three production facilities and was rolling out an expanding product line.

Today, Don Pancho produces also produces tortilla chips, un-fried tortilla chips, gluten-free wraps, low-carb wraps, Mexican spices and salsas.

The headquarters remain in Salem, with additional plants in Yakima and Seattle, Salt Lake City and Rocky Mount, North Carolina, according to Don Pancho's member listing with the Salem Area Chamber.

George Puentes, center, at the production facility for Don Pancho Authentic Mexican Foods in 2001.
George Puentes, center, at the production facility for Don Pancho Authentic Mexican Foods in 2001.

Puentes, who served as the company president until he retired in 2014, reminisced about the business during a 2021 podcast interview with chamber CEO Tom Hoffert. He said he was proud to have built a company producing more than 5 million tortillas a day and doing $50 million in annual sales.

"I never knew how high I could take it, but that wasn't what I was going for," he said in the podcast. "I was going for running a successful business, creating good products and putting together a team could work together."

Hoffert worked for Puentes as a national account manager for Don Pancho for nearly 15 years.

"George was much more than a mentor, but also a close confidant, friend, and father figure," Hoffert told the Statesman Journal after Puentes passed.

Others in the community echoed those sentiments and admired Puentes' commitment to Salem.

"George's legacy was his tireless work and passion in making Salem a better community," said Steve Altman, a local financial advisor.

Puentes was involved with the chamber and city council while running a successful business. He even ran for mayor, although he was unsuccessful. After retiring, he remained active in the community by sitting on multiple boards, including the Meyer Memorial Trust.

The family said a celebration of life will be held in Salem, with details to be announced at a later date.

Capi Lynn is a senior reporter for the Statesman Journal. Emails tips and suggestions to her at clynn@StatesmanJournal.com, or follow her on Twitter @CapiLynn and Facebook @CapiLynnSJ.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: George Puentes, co-founder of Don Pancho tortillas, dies