Oral history interview with Jorge Fierro, conducted by Marylinda Gonzales (transcript)

Jorge Fierro discusses his childhood growing up in Mexico and his family. Fierro is an entrepreneur and owner of Rico Brands, which distributes ready to eat Mexican food for supermarkets. He mentions that he was considered the "black sheep" of his family because his life did not revolve around Catholic traditions. Fierro talks about his struggles going to school and learning later in life that he had a learning disability. He moved to America after deciding to quit his schooling, and started doing manual labor and worked as a sheep herder in Wyoming. Fierro talks about his determination to become successful and learn English. He was homeless for a time in Salt Lake City and was aided by programs at the Rescue Mission in 1985. Fierro details his philosophy of developing natural food products with no preservatives, and his approach to building his company and developing it over time. He discusses his feelings about the benefits of immigration, and immigrants being able to build opportunities for themselves and other people.