Vallarta Supermarkets

Celebrating Connections through Food

Vallarta Supermarkets, founded in Van Nuys in 1985 as a family butcher shop, has over 50 locations across the state, making it one of the largest Latino-owned supermarket chains in California. Vallarta made the decision to leave their original Sylmar headquarters, which no longer supported modern ways of working, and move to Santa Clarita where they will more than double the size of their corporate headquarters. Still a family-owned company today, Vallarta selected HGA to assist their leadership team in creating a headquarters that would inspire and motivate their employees, celebrate their Latin roots, and create a sense of pride in their brand.

Vallarta expressed a desire for their new office to be welcoming and approachable, evoking a beach resort through soft colors, natural materials, and living plants. HGA uses design elements, such as rounded edges and arches, home-like details, and folk-inspired touches, to honor the Latin American heritage and create a feeling of familial camaraderie. At the same time, the new space is highly functional and future-facing, with strategies that support the organization as it grows over time, as well as dynamic lighting and art.

HGA strived to be mindful of Vallarta’s budget, investing in the highest impact areas. In the lobby, the reception desk utilizes abstract shapes inspired by the Vallarta logo. An art installation of abstracted sea birds playfully invokes the beach feel of the space while celebrating the double height space. The new headquarters includes both open and closed office layouts, with spaces for formal meetings and more casual interactions located throughout the three floors.

Vallarta believes that food is the connector between people and moments in our lives. The first floor of their new headquarters features a main “home kitchen”-inspired breakroom with long communal tables. In the back of the building, our design team created a long narrow outdoor amenity space connected to the breakroom. Connected via a chef’s counter to the breakroom is a test kitchen for developing in-house products and recipes, such as spices or ceviche. On the second and third floors, coffee lounges allow for casual interactions. Also on the third floor is a club lounge space for tequila tastings and other executive functions. The new Vallarta headquarters is a vibrant space where employees feel at home.