About La Preferida Inc

La Preferida: Family-Owned Flavor for 75+ Years Our story begins with a Bavarian butcher who believed food should always be crafted with care. In the early 1900s, Henry Steinbarth left his homeland for Chicago, where he opened a small neighborhood market. With a butcher’s skill and a passion for quality, he made sausages and baked goods that reminiscent of his homeland. As Chicago grew into a cultural crossroads, Henry saw new communities arriving from Mexico and Latin America. Listening to his neighbors, he used his craft to create one of the city’s very first Mexican-style chorizos. Locals began calling his recipe La Preferida—“The Preferred”—a name that captured both the flavor and the trust it inspired. By 1949, Henry’s sons carried the family vision forward, turning a neighborhood butcher shop into a full-fledged food company. What started with hand-crafted sausage from the back of a family car grew into a brand offering over 250 authentic products: beans, rice, peppers, salsas, hominy, seasonings, and more. Four generations later, La Preferida remains proudly family-owned, still guided by Henry’s belief that quality and tradition never go out of style. From our family table to your shelves, we’re honored to be part of everyday meals and celebrations. Because food isn’t just what we make—it’s who we are.Read their story