El Mercadito Minot, a new grocery store, has opened in the heart of the Magic City, offering a wide variety of Latin and Central American products to the local community. “The Little Market,” the store aims to fill a gap and provide an authentic shopping experience for those looking for familiar foods and ingredients from their homelands.
El Mercadito Minot is the second location in North Dakota, with its original store in Williston. The owners also operate both Taco Feliz Mexican restaurants in Minot. According to Diana Gutierrez, a sales associate and the owner’s daughter, the goal behind opening El Mercadito Minot was not just to provide much needed products to the community, but also to offer a little piece of home to the community here in Minot.
The store offers a wide range of Mexican and Central American spices, meats, and snacks. Shoppers will find essentials like chiles, quesos, and aguas frescas, along with many traditional products such as piñatas and cleaning supplies imported from Mexico.
Understanding how difficult it can be to find familiar products, the owners are committed to offering not just traditional Mexican goods but also items from all across Central America. El Mercadito is designed not only for those who grew up in Latin America, but also for local residents curious about new flavors and cooking styles.
Minot Air Force Base resident Priscila Kerr shared her experience and what having El Mercadito Minot means to her, “I truly can’t express how much it means to have something from home here. After being away for a while and not having full access to the foods and ingredients I grew up with, finding a store that offers them brings me so much joy. It’s not just about convenience, it’s about being able to share a piece of my heritage with my children and introduce them to the flavors of my childhood. It also gives me the chance to share a part of my culture with friends here, and for that, I am deeply grateful. I truly hope that one day this store continues to grow, expanding its offerings and becoming an even bigger hub for our community and our culture.”
The store’s grand opening last week was met with excitement and a warm response from the community. It’s clear that Minot’s growing Latin and Central American community now has a space to call their own, a place where the sights, sounds, and smells of home are always within reach.
El Mercadito is located at 1700 S. Broadway and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information on the store’s products and upcoming events, visit El Mercadito’s social media pages or stop by their new location in Minot, ND.
