Success Story: Al Chile

Tenorio Sisters Turn Shared Dreams into Tasty Business with Al Chile… está bien bueno!

Location: Southern California | San Bernardino County | Ontario

Business Type: Ice Cream and Snack Bar

Small Business Center: Asociación de Emprendedor@s

Assistance Received: Business advising, training, and access to capital

Laura and Ailin Tenorio, sisters from Mexico, used to make gelatin, cakes and flan (Mexican custard) to sell at school when they were little. “It’s funny how we both did the same thing, even though we didn’t grow up together,” said Laura, who’s 17 years older than Ailin.

When Ailin came to the United States, and after they received a settlement from a car accident, Laura said to her sister, “Let’s put this money to work before it’s gone”. Sharing the same dream of achieving financial independence, they acquired a food truck and began attending food fairs. Ailin’s goal was to offer an experience as close as possible to eating in Mexico. However, food fairs and farmers markets soon disappointed the sisters –too much work and not enough sales. In addition, the lack of knowledge about the Health Department requirements made things more challenging.

They decided to start catering events. This way they could better estimate the number of clients and reduce food waste. Laura and Ailin became business partners and registered their company as Al Chile…está bien bueno! They began serving a variety of Mexican treats, including ice cream, aguas frescas, smoothies and juices, as well as savory snacks, sandwiches, hot drinks and desserts.

Although catering was an improvement, it still came with its own set of challenges. It was stressful because everything had to be done on the same day, and they didn’t have a dedicated space for preparation or enough refrigeration. The sisters decided they needed to find a place where they could prepare, store and sell during the week to avoid wasting food.

They had already found a location in Ontario and were in the process of negotiating when they came across an ad for the Emprendedor@s Program in Rancho Cucamonga. They decided to enroll in the 8-week course led by Monica Robles, Founder and President of Asociación de Emprendedor@s (AdE) and internationally certified JMT Coach (John Maxwell Team). Since the classes were conducted in Spanish, Laura felt more comfortable and was able to easily understand everything. Under Robles’ guidance, the sisters paused the negotiations until they were more advanced in their business education. They learned about permits, contracts, business structure, business plan, mission and vision statements, and leasing a commercial space, among other topics.

No sooner had they graduated from the Emprendedor@s Program on, than they enrolled in another training offered by AdE in partnership with San Bernardino County Workforce Development Department (SBC WDD) in Victorville: Entrepreneurship Business Series. Through this new program, they expanded their knowledge on how to hire and manage employees, learned about workers’ compensation, and discovered how to access the free resources the County offers to support the success of small businesses.

“What was most important to me was having the guidance of trustworthy people and (…) having the certainly that wherever we were referred to, it was because they were approved by the association and would always help us in good faith,” said Ailin.

Thanks to all the mentoring and training they received in both programs, the Tenorio family was able to celebrate the official opening of their business Al Chile…está bien bueno! in the city of Ontario. The event featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony, sponsored by the San Bernardino County Economic Development Department in the City of Rancho Cucamonga.

Visit Al Chile…está bien bueno! at 2225 S Mountain Ave Ontario, CA 91762. And if you are a small business in Southern California and looking for resources and programs in Spanish, connect with Asociación de Emprendedor@s

4/28/2025