First Ever Sello M Announcements in Australia
Since 2013, the owners of La Tortillería have had one mission – to serve traditional, authentic Mexican food. Now, that dedication has been rewarded. La Tortillería is one of only three Victorian businesses, and one of only eight in Australia, that has been awarded the Sello M, an official seal of authenticity for Mexican cuisine outside Mexico. These are the first ever Sello M recognitions in Australia.
Uniquely to Le Tortillería, it has been recognised for both the Eatery and the wholesale side of the business.
The Sello M seals are awarded by the Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores in collaboration with the Academia Mexicana de Gastronomía, backed by the Mexican government. The purpose is to recognise and certify businesses that genuinely represent Mexican gastronomy, not just through quality, but by protecting cultural identity.
Co-founders of La Tortillería Gerado Lopez and Diana Hill have always aimed to be true artists of Mexican food, using their food to tell stories of Mexican culture and cuisine and embracing ancient recipes. The goal has been to share a deeper, more authentic expression of Mexican cuisine in Australia, starting with its foundation: corn tortillas made from scratch using the traditional nixtamalization process.
La Tortillería opened it’s Eatery in Kensington in 2013 and was pivotal in bringing genuine Mexican food and flavours to Melbourne. The restaurant has become a part of the community, where the cooking connects customers to the taste, energy & hospitality at the heart of Mexican food culture.
The business has grown and evolved to also include wholesale, making its high-quality tortillas using the ancient craft of nixtamalization for other Mexican eateries, and sold in independent retailers, so more people can enjoy them at hospitality venues or at home.
In order to receive the Sello M, a restaurant or food business abroad must demonstrate that it serves authentic Mexican recipes, using traditional ingredients and techniques, employs qualified staff with knowledge or experience in Mexican cuisine and complies with local operational standards. La Tortillería fulfilled these criteria across both the Eatery and wholesale tortilla business.
“Whether someone is enjoying our tortillas at home or dining with us in the Eatery, our goal has always been the same, to share the same Mexican food I had growing up in Mexico: tasteful, vibrant, and deeply rooted in tradition,” Gerado said.
“The Sello M is incredibly special because it comes from Mexico itself, and it reassures people that what they’re experiencing is real. That connection to flavour, to culture, to tradition, is what matters most to us.”
The goals of the Sello M program are to safeguard culinary heritage (preserve traditional recipes, techniques, and cultural meaning abroad), combat inauthentic versions (reduce the spread of heavily altered or misrepresented Mexican cuisine), promote cultural diplomacy (use gastronomy to strengthen Mexico’s cultural presence globally), guide consumers internationally (help diners identify restaurants that offer genuine Mexican food) and support quality businesses abroad (recognise chefs and restaurateurs committed to authenticity and training).
The Mexican food scene has grown and evolved significantly in the last 13 years, bringing greater visibility, but also sometimes creating a blur between authenticity and interpretation. This Sello M accreditation for La Tortillería affirms the team’s commitment to the traditional roots and techniques of Mexican cuisine. La Tortillería has served over half a million dinners in the Eatery, and makes over 10 million tortillas annually – the business has connected two cultures through food, one tortilla at a time.
La Tortillería
https://latortilleria.com.au/