La Buena Michoacana
Sweetness on a Stick
by Dawn Emery Ballantine
The small town of Tocumbo in Michoacán, Mexico, is the legendary birthplace of the paleta—frozen, refreshing sweetness on a stick (think a popsicle but so much better). One of Michoacan’s primary crops is sugar cane, and the combination of sugar with fresh fruit into paletas became a craze in the early 1940s that took on a life of its own. Most paletería businesses pay homage to their birthplace by using “Michoacana” somewhere in their moniker (which has lately grown legally contentious). Our very own local success story is La Buena Michoacana in Ukiah, owned and operated by Liz Echeverría and her husband, Luciano Mendoza.
From the time he was a small boy, Luciano dreamed of owning his own paletería. It wasn’t Liz’s dream initially, yet it has become her happy reality in a way that has surprised her, and now she can’t imagine doing anything else. The paletas are often visual works of art, and the flavors range from tried-and-true classics to unheard-of combinations. La Buena Michoacana offers 54 flavors, including non-dairy fruit paletas made with mamey, guabana, graviola, and mango-tamarind-chile, as well as dairy-based ice cream flavors such as coffee, eggnog, rosepetal, and caramel. New batches are hand-mixed and prepared weekly by Liz and Luciano, and they occasionally dream up new combinations to keep their line-up fresh and exciting. Their menu has expanded to include other items such as fruit bowls, aguas frescas, elote (corn on the cob), snack bowls, and a personal favorite, fresas con crema (strawberries with fresh cream).
Liz and Luciano both grew up in La Laguneta, Tocumbo. The town is small, its economy rooted in agriculture and ranching, and education there stops at 6th grade. When Liz was young, her father emigrated to Boonville, finding work in the logging industry until he was able to get his family’s legal paperwork in order to bring them to California. Liz was 16 when she arrived with her family, and soon found herself placed in the 10th grade class at Anderson Valley High School, despite speaking no English and having only completed 6th grade. But Liz and her family are hard workers, and that, in combination with the strong support of her teachers, enabled Liz to graduate high school in only three years, just before she turned 20. “I was the oldest kid in my class,” she laughed. Luciano had followed Liz to Boonville, where he found work at Navarro Vineyards, and they were married when Liz was 18. She attended Mendocino Community College and achieved her A.A. in Business, working for the next 11 years in the office of Anderson Valley Elementary School.
In late November of 2014, Liz and Luciano began to seriously consider Luciano’s dream of opening their own paletería. Relatives in Santa Maria, California had their own shop, so they traveled down to spend a week with them to learn the ropes. Luciano and Liz learned existing recipes as well as how to develop their own, and within six months, La Buena Michoacana opened its doors in Ukiah in the former Coldstone Creamery space. According to Liz, this greatly simplified the opening process, as most of Coldstone’s storefront setup remained. But they took out no loans or financing, and, on the day they opened for business, Liz remembered, “We had only $300 left in our bank account.” Their Santa Maria relatives came to help out for the grand opening during its first week. Happily, La Buena Michoacana was an instant hit.
Liz and Luciano manage almost every aspect of their business, with Liz handling administration and Luciano dealing with the day-to-day repairs and maintenance of the machines and premises. In 2017 they added a new facility in north Ukiah. After substantial renovation, which they completed themselves, they had created a new headquarters for paletas production.
They have always sourced their fruit from Andy’s Produce, a long-time family-owned produce company in Sebastopol which buys primarily from local farmers. Their fruit demands are year-round, and even though the prices wildly fluctuate (summer strawberries are $19/flat and $55/flat in winter) they keep their product prices steady at $3.00 per paleta. In an effort to keep their costs affordable for their customers, La Buena Michoacana does not use organic produce, but they do make every effort to keep their products local and “natural,” using no preservatives. Their fruit paletas consist of only fruit, sugar, and some water. Though Liz doesn’t go so far as to call them “healthy,” they are still a far better choice than many similar items on the market, as many other paleterías offer products that contain artificial fruit flavors and colors, as well as inferior sweeteners.
In addition to the two storefronts, La Buena Michoacana provides food for local events, regularly providing fresh fruit bowls for gatherings at Adventist Hospital. They create ice cream cakes and mini-popsicles for community events and private parties, and they have recently acquired a mobile paletería freezer—a popsicle pushcart—which is available for rent.
La Buena Michoacana is open year-round, employing eight people in the summer and scaling back to four employees in the slower winter months. Though their early days saw them working from 6am to 11pm, Liz said that she and Luciano now have a more manageable work life, with most weekends off and time for the family. Their 16-year-old son is just beginning to help with the business, and so far, he seems to enjoy it. Though they would eventually like to expand to another city or two in Mendocino County, for now, they are content with what they have built with their savings, their sweat, the support of their families, and their own hands. It’s a sweet life, and well deserved.
A Sampling of Flavors
On a hot, sunny Saturday, I drove to Ukiah to sample some of La Buena Michoacana’s 54 flavors. Seated at one of their outdoor tables, in the only sliver of shade to be found, I sampled a few flavors of each of the ice creams and paletas. The staff person was very friendly and knowledgeable about the makeup of each of the offerings.
I was very pleased to note that La Buena Michoacana utilizes World Centric products in their packaging. Every compostable cup and/or spoon makes a difference.
First, the ICE CREAMS. I haven’t had a dairy-based ice cream in a couple of years, but anything for the article!
Tequila. For real. An initial hit of tequila flavor that melds into a cold, smooth, creamy deliciousness.
Fresas con crema. I’m a sucker for all things strawberry, and strawberries and cream are one of my favorite treats. The sunny sweet flavor of strawberry is buoyed by the sweet cream base. Cold and sweet and full of strawberry flavor.
Mexican chocolate. Smooth, creamy chocolate with an undercurrent of cinnamon, sweet and subtle, making me want more.
Next up, PALETAS. These run the gamut of bases—dairy, coconut water, juices, and water. They are beautiful, with big chunks of fruit delighting eyes and tastebuds alike.
Passionfruit. This was my personal favorite. A water/fruit base, it was icy, tart, sweet, and crunchy with passionfruit seeds. It was delicious and refreshing with a lovely staying power.
Tropical Fruit. Made from a coconut water base, this paleta was full of chunks of kiwi, peaches, strawberry, pineapple, mango. Sweeter than the passionfruit but still enjoyable.
Fresh Fruit. This paleta is dairy-based, quite a bit sweeter, with chunks of strawberry, peaches, and grapes. Like a fruit ice cream on a stick.
La Buena Michoacana is a treat, especially in the hot days of late summer / early autumn.
Two locations in Ukiah make it even easier to find a cold, sweet treat. Or better yet, rent their paleta handtruck for your event, and sample all the flavors provided.
La Buena Michoacana
1252 Airport Park Blvd in the plaza behind Tractor Supply
(707) 467-1100 | 12PM - 8PM
1311 N. State Street in the Raley’s plaza
(707) 621-9336 | Mon - Thu 12PM - 8:30PM, Fri - Sun 12PM - 9PM
facebook.com/buenamichoacana
Store and passionfruit paleta photos by Dawn Emery Ballantine.
All other photos courtesy of La Buena Michoacana.
Dawn Emery Ballantine lives in Anderson Valley where she sells books at her tiny bookshop Hedgehog Books, edits this magazine, and disappears into the pages of a well-written story whenever time allows (and sometimes when it doesn’t).