Meet Gloria Orozco

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gloria Orozco. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Gloria, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

When I think of the word resilience, a vivid tapestry of memories from my childhood in Mexico unfolds before my eyes. Images of rain-soaked crops, prickly pears, cornfields, sunsets over cacti, and the sweet melodies of cicadas dance through my mind. Growing up on my parents’ farm allowed me to appreciate nature’s gifts and instilled in me a deep sense of creativity and problem-solving.
Our farm life was challenging—we had no electricity or running water. My daily tasks included gathering wood, bringing freshwater to the house, cutting cactus leaves, picking fresh mushrooms, mesquite pods, collecting purslane, and helping my mother boil corn for tortillas. The need for survival taught me to use common sense and take risks carefully. With 13 mouths to feed, creativity was essential as we often had limited food supplies. My mother showed me how to invent different ways to combine foods into nutritious meals.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

We are currently selling our foods at local farmers markets in order to procure a following. In the future, I would like to establish Punto in a brick and mortar. My business, Punto, is named after a phrase my mother frequently used while cooking: “¡Dame el Punto!,” meaning “is it on point?” At Punto, we specialize in gourmet artisanal pasties (empanadas) made with a special gluten-free fresh corn masa. Our pasties come in three fantastic flavors—carne (ground beef, potato, red pepper, cilantro and sweet onion), papa (potato sautéed in our house sofrito), and calabaza (butternut squash, black beans, garbanzo beans, sweet onion sautéed in organic sazón)—and are infused with flavors from Italy, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Santo Domingo, and Mexico. The pastes garnished with our homemade sauces; “Creamy Chipotle,” “Salsa Verde”. We also offer Hibisberry—a refreshing beverage made from hibiscus flowers and strawberries.
Eat with your eyes! Because of these words of wisdom that our food has the essence of the colors: red, yellow, green, brown and black!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back on this journey fills me with immense gratitude for our clients and supporters. If someone asked for advice on starting their own business journey like mine at Punto—I would tell them to be optimistic yet professional; set long-term goals; ensure open communication with themselves as well as their team; because success is built by working together as one cohesive unit.
The sky is truly the limit for Punto!

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

Launching Punto has been a testament to resilience. During this journey, I faced significant personal challenges: my mother’s cancer diagnosis and passing away; a brutal custody battle for my son; and completing an Administrative and Educational Policy Leadership Master’s Degree at Marquette University—all happening simultaneously.
Since opening Punto in June 2024 at local farmers markets, we’ve been steadily building a following. This experience has been my biggest area of growth over the last year. In this business, being like a scientist is crucial—constantly perfecting your product through experimentation and feedback from staff and customers. Maintaining optimism and accountability is key.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: 1punto.mke

Image Credits

Michael Sutton photographer.
www.mscophoto.com