La Amapola was co-founded in 1961 by Carlos B. Galvan along with his father Francisco Galvan. Carlos took over the helm in 1970, when it was still a "mom-and-pop" neighborhood market with only six employees. Today, La Amapola is a specialty food store and manufacturer of tortillas, employing more than 200 people. Throughout the years, La Amapola has gained fame by selling the best corn tortillas and masa for tamales. Every holiday season, queues of customers line up outside the stores for hours before the doors even open for business.