In Honor of Mother's Day, Medrano Produce Spotlights Family Matriarch Maria de Los Angeles Ramos Medrano

PHARR, TX - As Mother’s Day approaches, Medrano Produce reflects on the legacy of its matriarch, Maria de Los Angeles Ramos Medrano. While the company now spans second and third generations, its operations can still be traced back to her.

“I feel very proud and grateful to see how much Medrano Produce has grown over the years. What started as a dream and many years of hard work became something truly special for our family,” she shared. “To me, the growth of the company is not only a blessing but also a reflection of the sacrifices, values, perseverance, and faith passed down from generation to generation.”

Medrano Produce was founded in 1979, and since its founding, Maria has been instrumental in its success. Her family says she was never the quiet person behind the scenes.

She was the one making sure everyone got up, worked hard, stayed fed, and stayed in school—and she definitely kept everybody in line. Even after working in the fields and sacrificing endlessly for the family, she somehow kept everyone together while keeping faith at the center.

Adolfo Medrano Jr., her eldest son and Chief Financial Officer of Medrano Produce, shared the impact of his mother’s legacy on the business and on himself.

“My mother taught me lessons that no school or business ever could. She showed us what hard work looked like every day. No matter how hard life got, she always found a way to keep our family together with love, discipline, faith, and determination,” he told me. “As children, we did not fully understand the sacrifices she was making for us, but as I got older, I realized how much she carried on her shoulders. She believed deeply in education, hard work, and putting God first, and those values shaped not only our family but the foundation of everything we built. A lot of people may only see the success today, but I will always remember the woman behind it all, my mother, whose strength and prayers helped guide our family through every stage of life.”

Franco Medrano, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, remarked on the passion he’s seen reflected in his grandmother.

“The legacy of Medrano Produce was built not only through hard work and sacrifice, but through the strength, love, and resilience of women like my grandmother, who helped shape this business and our family for generations,” he said.

Even her name reflects the kind of life she built. Maria De Los Angeles translates to Mary of the Angels. Ramos means 'branches' in Spanish, and Medrano is a surname associated with fertile, abundant land. Together, it mirrors the work and values she carried into both her family and the business. That influence still shows up today. The current generation recently rebranded the lime, lemon, and orange bags with the line “Quality that Honors Family,” a direct reflection of what she put in place years ago.

Turning 80 this August, Maria de Los Angeles Ramos Medrano remains a tour de force who has improved the industry.