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Luis, Viridiana, Karla & Marco Lopez are excited by this new venture. John Hernandez | Miner
San Manuel Miner
Mammoth has a new meat market and grocery store specializing in Hispanic foods. Carniceria Rancheros Meat Market is now open and doing business. “It took longer than we expected but we’re here and still working on it,” said owner Luis Lopez. Luis’ partner is his uncle Marco Lopez who owns a meat packing plant in Tucson, “Beef Masters” on 29th Street and the freeway. The Lopez family comes from a long line of ranchers and meat market owners.
Luis says he has been cutting meat since he was 13 years old. He is originally from Hermosillo, Sonora Mexico. He has lived in Tucson for 20 years where he has worked for a number of grocery stores. The last three years he has been the general manager for El Herradero Supermarket at Prince and Flowing Wells Road. A number of the customers he now has in Mammoth used to patronize El Herradero and recognized him from the store.
The Town of Mammoth approached him about opening the store. Luis had been considering opening his own store and had been looking around Tucson. Former Mayor Al Barcelo showed him some buildings in Mammoth but none of them were acceptable and Luis would have had to invest a lot of money to get started. Luis looked at recent census numbers for the Tri-Community, Kearny and Hayden-Winkelman. He visited all the towns and walked around the businesses. Luis met a lot of people and talked to them. They told him the area needed a store like his.
The Town of Mammoth was persistent in wanting Luis to open a store in town. Luis pointed out what work would be needed in the building to be able to open a store. The Town of Mammoth accommodated him and began upgrading the building. Luis did part of the work himself. Pinal County Supervisor Pete Rios helped with the county building regulations which are different from Pima County. Luis wanted to thank the Town of Mammoth, Mayor Al Barcelo, Patsy large and Pete “Chapo” Gallego for their assistance.
Luis found out that he has a family tie to Mammoth. As a kid his father would tell him that his grandfather used to work as a cowboy on the “Mercy” ranch on the other side of the Catalina Mountains from Tucson. After visiting Mammoth and talking with people, he was told about the Mercer ranch near Mammoth. He told his uncle about the Mercer ranch and his uncle said yes that was it. It is believed that Luis’ grandfather, Ramon “Chapo” (Shorty) Lopez worked for the Mercer ranch in the 1940s.
Besides being a cowboy, Ramon would travel to other ranches to buy and sell cattle for the Mercers. The owner’s wife taught Ramon how to sign his name. Ramon did not know how to read or write but needed to be able to sign a check. Ramon would later be deported by Immigration back to Mexico. The owner of the ranch traveled to Nogales, Sonora to pay Ramon the money he owed him. Being deported worked in Ramon’s favor as he would later win the Mexican lottery. His winnings allowed him to open some meat markets and be the first person in his village to own a car. Ramon lived in Carbó, Sonora a small town noted for ranching and farming.
The Carniceria Ranchero carries a variety of marinated meats, different cuts of chicken, pork, and beef as well as fish and shrimp. You can find everything you need to make tamales and menudo. There is a good selection of Mexican cheeses as well as American cheese and cold cuts. The produce section has a good variety of fruits and vegetables. They carry El Guapo spices and dried chilies. Mexican bread and rolls as well as a selection of corn and flour tortillas are available. “You can expect Tucson prices or lower. Some items will be a few cents higher due to added delivery charges,” said Luis. “We will offer good customer service and a good variety of quality products,” he said.
Carniceria Ranchero Meat Market is open seven days a week. The temporary hours are 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. There are currently not authorized for EBT (food stamps) but expect to have approval by late January. Luis said, “I am grateful for the support that the community has given me. The people tell me that they are glad to have a market here.” The market is located off Highway 77 between the Circle K and Michoacanas Restaurant.
John Hernandez lives in Oracle. He is retired and enjoys writing and traveling. He is active in the Oracle Historical Society. He covers numerous public events, researches historical features and writes business/artist profiles.
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