From Torreón to Avon.

Raúl Rodríguez and his family came to the Vail Valley from Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico — and built their businesses here one step at a time.

It started with Full Cleaning, the family's carpet- and window-cleaning company, now in business for 8 years. That hard work made it possible to open a check-cashing and money-transfer business. Behind that counter, Raúl noticed something: most Latin stores in the valley carried mainly Mexican products, but many customers came from Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Central America and beyond — and couldn't find the foods of home.

So in September 2024, Raúl and Lucía opened Mini Market Mundo Latino in EagleVail, right next to Route 6 Café. They let the customers lead. Every time someone asked for a product from home, Raúl went out and found a new supplier. Month by month, the shelves grew.

Today the market carries hundreds of products from eight countries, a kitchen serving everything from Mexican menudo to Colombian tamales tolimenses, a butcher counter with cuts specific to each country, ice cream from Mexico and Colombia, and the same check-cashing and money-transfer services where it all began.

Raúl knows his customers. Peruvian families often come for ingredients to cook at home; Colombian customers often come for food that's ready to eat. That's why Mundo Latino is both a grocery and a kitchen.

Nearly all of the market's growth has come from word of mouth — neighbors telling neighbors. New customers still walk in saying they never knew it was here, and that the store is beautiful and spotless.

The family has since added a tortillería and panadería, so there are fresh tortillas and pan dulce on the same visit.