This Idaho bakery serves up Dubai chocolate and memes. Here’s what they sell
The family behind La Esperanza Market is always reinventing the business.
When the store first opened in 2006 in a 1,200-square-foot space in Caldwell, now-Manager Janet Gurrola was just 9 years old. Her job was to make tamales, which the store is known for. She remembers going out with her family to put flyers on every car they could find at local churches and Walmart. Back then, the store was La Esperanza Bakery.
“That’s not very common anymore,” Gurrola said, sitting at one of the tables where customers can eat their meals.
In the two decades since, the family hasn’t stopped hustling. Gurrola’s parents still own the store. But now, the smell of bread and the sound of cooks chopping vegetables fill the air at their 6,000-square-foot space on Caldwell Boulevard in Nampa. They’ve gone from six employees to 22, most of whom are full-time.
More Colombian people live in Idaho than ever before, so the family added some Colombian products to sell. The store is broken into sections, with spices hanging from the wall in one area and produce available in others. Bright international candies sit on shelves near the Colombian products. Bursts of Spanish and laughter ring out.
And they’re keeping up on the hottest trends and growing their customer base through social media. Gurrola comes up with the ideas for Instagram and TikTok videos, which her younger brother Alex and other employees also star in. Alex is the “dancer and actor,” she said, and learns quickly.
For example, they’ve weighed in on the love triangle on the hit Amazon Prime show “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” The show is a coming-of-age series about young love set in a fictional beach town. In a social media video, the store showcases the taco they’d make for Conrad, one of the two brothers vying for Belly’s love. His taco has abundant meat, chopped onions and cilantro and sauce on top of tortillas. But for Jeremiah, the cooks plop down two raspberries and what appears to be cocoa powder.
Gurrola herself participated in the Nicki Minaj challenge, where people attempt to balance themselves precariously on top of something, often wearing heels. The challenge has led to at least one injury, and Gurrola decided not to go as low as some other people. But in the video, she stands with one leg on boxes of soda, a plate in each hand, as a slow smile spreads across her face. Over her are the words “Me patiently waiting for new customers to find our amazing business.”
And the store has leaned into the Dubai chocolate craze. The viral internet food comes from Dubai, and started as a chocolate bar filled with pistachio cream and kataifi, a shredded dough. Gurrola’s parents were skeptical at first, but the store’s Dubai chocolate strawberry cups have sold well.
They also offer a Dubai chocolate doughnut and a concha, though the latter has to be pre-ordered. Conchas are Mexican sweet breads that look like seashells. They are often colorful.
The store mixes hip with traditional, displaying Dubai Chocolate Tres Leches cake near classic conchas behind glass doors. Gurrola said she’s planning what to do for fall, perhaps something with pumpkin spice flavoring. For Mexican Independence Day, the store’s staff will create conchas with the Mexican flag.
Conchas range from 80 cents to $2 and strawberry cups go from just under $10 to around $17, depending on the size.
It’s not just sweet. The store boasts a meat market and meals. Gurrola’s aunt is the chef, and the store staff tries to come up with a new dish every month. Gurrola will bring ideas for the bakery to her dad, the baker.
One year, Gurrola came up with new filling ideas for Pan de Muerte, a Day of the Dead bread, when visiting Mexico near Zacatecas.
The family is dedicated to their store. But going to visit her family in Mexico is more than just a place for cuisine inspiration.
“It’s refreshing,” she said. “Like a nice escape from reality.”
This is the first in a series of stories related to Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15-Oct. 15.
This story was originally published September 15, 2025 at 4:00 AM.
