Mi Tierra Latina was born from a belief that food is one of the most powerful ways people connect — across cultures, across generations, and across the distance that immigrants often carry with them. What started in 2021 as a single store on Davie Street has grown into eight locations across Metro Vancouver, each one stocked with authentic Latin American products that are hard to find anywhere else.
But the people who walk through the door aren't only Latinos reconnecting with the flavours of home — they're neighbours, food lovers, and curious souls from all walks of life, drawn in by colour, taste, and the kind of warmth that makes a grocery run feel like something more. Mi Tierra Latina was built for all of them.
Where Every Day Looks Different
There is a reason people come back to Mi Tierra Latina and bring someone new with them every time. The staff remember faces, ask questions, and offer recommendations with the kind of genuine enthusiasm that is rare in retail. Each store is stocked with products spanning the full breadth of Latin America — from everyday pantry staples to regional specialties that even longtime customers are still discovering. And because each neighbourhood across Metro Vancouver has its own personality, so does each store — shaped over time by the customers who walk through the door and the conversations that follow.
That spirit of sharing runs through everything. On weekends, tastings bring new products to life — a way of giving local and emerging suppliers a real chance to connect with customers face to face. At the Parker Street location on Commercial Drive, the experience goes even further, with a taqueria serving tacos every Friday through Sunday.
"It's bringing people together through food. We didn't think we would have this movement since we started our first store five years ago, but here we are."
— Alexandra Osan
ALEXANDRA OSAN
CO-FOUNDER
Four Women, One Vision, Eight Neighbourhoods
Mi Tierra Latina didn't start with a business plan — it started with a coffee shop, a few products that customers kept asking for, and four partners who looked at each other and said, why not open a store? Sonia and Michelle, both originally from Mexico, had been building businesses in Vancouver for nearly two decades. Nilka brought her Colombian roots and entrepreneurial energy to the table. And Alexandra, who has called Vancouver home for 22 years, rounded out a partnership built on complementary strengths and a shared belief in what they were creating.
With no retail background but over 13 years of running businesses together, they pooled their personal funds, found a location on Davie Street, and opened their first store. The community responded immediately — and kept asking for more.
When Growth Needs a Foundation That Can Keep Up
Scaling from one store to eight locations means the systems running in the background have to be just as reliable as the people on the floor. For Mi Tierra Latina, that reality came into sharp focus when a cyber attack at one location made clear that their existing setup — a handful of owner laptops with basic protection — wasn't going to be enough for where they were headed.
The connection to TAVANCA actually predated Mi Tierra Latina entirely.
Alexandra and her partners had been working with the TAVANCA team through Multi Services Vancouver for several years, so when things got complicated, there was no question about who to call.
What followed was a full expansion of that partnership: all eight store POS systems brought under TAVANCA's umbrella, laptops protected, networks secured, and the slow-moving frustration of troubleshooting connectivity and system issues every other day was finally put to rest.
“Peace of mind does not compare. Knowing that we're 100% protected — not only the POS systems but also the laptops for our managers." — Alexandra Osan
Still Growing, Still Listening
Mi Tierra Latina isn't slowing down. With an investor model that lets community members own up to 49% of individual locations, the growth has always been collaborative — and that's exactly how they plan to keep it. Expansion into the United States is on the horizon, and new products are constantly being added — because at Mi Tierra Latina, if the community is asking for something, they're already working on getting it. For a business that started with four partners and a leap of faith, the next chapter looks as grounded and community-driven as ever.
- Explore Mi Tierra Latina's locations and products: mitierralatina.ca
- Get in touch with the Mi Tierra Latina team: info@mitierralatina.ca
- Keeping retail businesses secure across every location: tavanca.ca
