After 41 years of making tortillas, Casa Valdez is closing its doors.
"Why am I closing well, I'm tired,” owner Jose Valdez laughed. “I've been here long enough. Too long in other words."
He’s been running his business at location on the corner of Chicago and 5th in Caldwell since 1977. Valdez started the business as the tortilla industry was just kicking off.
“I said, ‘Well that might be a good business to start in Idaho,’” he said.
He started with one building and only one line. As the popularity of tortillas grew, so did the business. Casa Valdez expanded to two buildings: one becoming the store and the other a factory full of equipment capable of producing more than 900 tortillas a minute.
"Right now, everyone knows what a tortilla is,” Valdez said. “Even in China, Australia, Europe, you know, Mexican food is pretty popular all over the world."
Loyal customers coming back for the different varieties and of course the original corn tortilla that’s made the traditional way.
"We cook and grind our own corn,” Valdez said. “I don't know of anyone who still cooks corn like we do."
The business created endless opportunities in its 41 years. Valdez even earned the title of small business person of the year, which got him an invitation to the White House.
“The White House! That was something," he said.
More than four decades worth of memories and growth in the community, and now that it’s come to an end, it’s bittersweet for Valdez.
While he will not be making tortillas, Valdez will certainly be busy.
"I used to go golfing and I used to go out a little bit more and then all of a sudden that kind of stopped,” he said. “Now I want to go back. I'd like to travel. Go see my relatives. Just kick back for a while."
Valdez is passing the property along to his kids and said it’s in their hands to either sell or start it up again one day.
“It's a good business. We're not closing the doors for any other reason than that I just I'm tired. I want to retire," Valdez said.
For now, the Casa Valdez tortillas you see in stores are the last of the batches available for sale.