The Woodlands | March 2023

BUSINESS FEATURE

DIVING INTO DON TOMATE 2 locations 20+ vendors

Since opening its rst location in Cypress in 2020, Don Tomate Meat Market has continued to grow.

1,000+ products

175250 daily customers

Countries represented by Don Tomate’s products include:

Peru

Mexico

Brazil

Argentina

Spain

Colombia

Venezuela

SOURCE: DON TOMATE MEAT MARKETCOMMUNITY IMPACT

Owner Celia Hernandez opened Don Tomate Meat Market o Kuykendahl Road in 2022.

LIZZY SPANGLERCOMMUNITY IMPACT

Don Tomate Meat Market Local grocery store provides Latin American avors C elia Hernandez opened her grocery BY LIZZY SPANGLER

when they nd those items: ‘Oh you have this,’” Hernandez said. “It [is] a little piece of their country or their background.” Hernandez said providing these products to her customers is so important that the cashiers keep a list of products customers could not nd in the store. “Then we contact our vendors, and so we go really out of our way,” Hernandez said. “Sometimes there is only one item, and the vendors don’t want to come and bring [it] ... so we personally go and pick up those items for the clients.” In terms of Don Tomate’s products, some of the most popular items include its fajita meat and homemade items, such as tamales and tortillas, Hernandez said. “You have to place an order for [the tamales] because they do run out every day,” Hernandez said. Local involvement The Kuykendahl Road location by West Rayford Road is not the rst business she has operated in the Tomball area, she said. She also opened an insurance and tax agency in 2018. In addition, Hernandez is on the board of directors of Families Feeding Families, a Tomball-based nonprot that provides Thanksgiving meals and other resources. Hernandez said she hopes to open another Don Tomate location. “I haven’t thought about where yet, but we’re excited,” she said.

store Don Tomate Meat Market on Kuykendahl Road in April 2022 after establishing its rst location in Cypress in February 2020. “I lived in Cypress for a while—for about 14 years—and I saw the need for a meat market,” Hernandez said. Customer relations Hernandez said she spent around two years on construction before Don Tomate’s Cypress location opened. After the Cypress location was in business for a while, Hernandez said she began to look at expanding. Now with two Don Tomate locations, Hernandez said each location sees around 175-250 customers a day, with that number increasing slightly on the weekends. The grocery store sells products of all kinds—from meat and produce to home- made items—with a focus on products that hail from countries such as Mexico, Argentina, Spain and Brazil. The Tomball location also features a bakery. “It’s not just a Mexican meat market,” Hernandez said. “We have items from all over Central America and South America as well.” Hernandez said her goal is to be able to serve her customers. “It’s rewarding just seeing the clients and seeing their smiles on their faces

A location on Kuykendahl Road opened in April 2022.

JESSICA SHORTENCOMMUNITY IMPACT

The store sells grocery items sourced from Central and South America. JESSICA SHORTENCOMMUNITY IMPACT

Don Tomate Meat Market 24026 Kuykendahl Road, Ste. 150, Tomball 281-205-1304

www.dontomatemarket.com Hours: Mon.-Sat. 6 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. 7 a.m.-9 p.m.

THE WOODLANDS EDITION • MARCH 2023