La Perla Spice Company, Inc. was founded in 1974 by Wilbert & Teresa Marrufo. Mr. & Mrs. Marrufo are from Merida, Yucatan, Mexico where achiote is used to flavor the Yucatan’s most beloved dish, Cochinita Pibil (achiote marinated shredded pork). In the local markets of Merida, you can see an array of different achiote vendors, each having their own unique recipe.
When Mr. & Mrs. Marrufo arrived in the United States, they decided to make achiote out of their garage for extra money. At first, they sold their achiote to friends and neighbors. But after years of hard work, Mr. & Mrs. Marrufo needed to rent a warehouse and hire a production team to keep up with the demand of their achiote.
With the passing of Mrs. Marrufo in 2005 and the well-deserved retirement of Mr. Marrufo, now their children continue to keep their legacy alive by sharing their delicious, homemade, and traditional achiote, bistek and yucatecan recipes. You can order their family recipe book on their online store.
Fun fact: Pibil in Maya means “baked underground” and refers to how the pre-Columbian Mayans cooked cochinita pibil underground.
Fun Fact: Achiote is also known as recado rojo
Fun Fact: Mr. & Mrs. Marrufo named their company after their youngest daughter (at the time) Perla.
The Marrufo family is very proud of the growth and success La Perla Spice has reached over the last 45 years.
It would not have been possible without their production team and the hard work and perseverance of the entire Marrufo Family.
The Yucatan
The Mayans
