Los Angeles’ favorite chili is heading east. 
Dolores Chili is expanding its distribution to Food 4 Less stores in Chicago. Beginning Monday, 13 Windy City locations will carry Dolores’famous All-Beef Chili Brick at a price of $5.69 each.
It is the farthest east the Dolores All-Beef Chili Brick has ever been sold. That does not include the online store at LAsFavoriteChili.com, which carries Dolores’ full range of chili products: The original All-Beef Chili Brick, Chicken Chili Brick and Chili Sauce.
“An area like Chicago has everything we’re looking for when it comes to expanding our Chili,” said Dolores Canning president David Muñoz, anticipating the expansion will soon stem beyond 13 stores. “Dolores Chili in Chicago Food4Less stores is a recipe for success that benefits both company’s customers.”
Originally founded in 1954 as a distributor of beef and pork products, the Los Angeles-based Dolores Canning Company is a family affair. The processing plant was started by patriarch Basilio Muñoz, with matriarch Dolores as the face of the company.
With a nod to its shape, the aptly named Dolores Chili Brick has been enjoyed by chili lovers since its introduction in 1973. To this day, Dolores is famous for its beef and chicken brick-shaped chili.
Dolores Chili is served at Philippe The Original in Los Angeles, and can be purchased at stores such as Vons, Ralphs, Stater Bros, Smart & Final, Superior, Grocery Outlet, Winco and 99 Cents Only stores.
Currently, Dolores Chili is the number-two selling item in the fresh meat case at Kroger stores, including Ralphs and Food 4 Less, behind only Oscar Meyer products. Kroger operates Food 4 Less stores in California, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska and Nevada.
A list of Chicago area Food4Less locations carrying the Dolores all-beef chili brick can be found online, www.dolorescanning.com/wordpress/dealer-locator.
Combine a dash of creativity with a serving of Dolores Chili, and you may have the winning recipe.
Dolores Canning Co. is seeking three individuals with the best recipe involving its famous Dolores Chili.
Three prizes will be awarded – first, second and third — and each winner will be featured in Dolores’ online Recipes page, on Dolores’ Facebook page (facebook.com/chilibrick) and will receive one of the following prizes:
- First-place winner: Dolores Chili Cooking Kit, one case of Dolores Chili and $200 (Approximate Retail Value: $300)
- Second-place winner: Dolores Chili Cooking Kit, one case of Dolores Chili and $75 (Approximate Retail Value: $300)
- Third-place winner: Dolores Chili Cooking Kit and one case of Dolores Chili (Approximate Retail Value: $300)
300-store discount chain to carry Dolores in convenient packaging
In a store made famous for value and variety, "L.A.'s Favorite Chili" is a natural fit.
Los Angeles-based Dolores Canning Co. Inc is introducing a 7-ounce package of Dolores Chili Sauce, available exclusively at 99 Cents Only Stores in four states. The new sauce, packed into individual microwave-friendly servings, retains the same great flavor that made Dolores Chili famous. It will be sold at all 300 99 Cents Only Stores in California, Nevada, Arizona and Texas.
“Dolores Chili Sauce is another way for people to enjoy a single-serving of Dolores Chili. It’s perfect with dogs, burgers, fries, nachos or straight,” said Dolores president David Muñoz.
The microwave-safe sauce, which heats in less than a minute, arrives at a perfect time. As savvy consumers become more time- and budget-conscious in their search for quality, discount retailers like 99 Cents Only Stores have surged in popularity.
In January 2011, Time magazine reported that bargain hunting has expanded its popularity to middle-class households. According to another report, there were fewer than 6,000 dollar stores in the U.S. as recently as 1996; by May 2011 the country's three largest dollar stores had more than 20,000 outlets.
Founded in 1982, 99 Cents Only was an early innovator of the bargain retail concept. For more than 25 years, everything was priced at 99 cents. Due to rising costs, the top price of its goods eventually increased to 99.99 cents.
Dolores Chili and 99 Cents Only Stores are a logical match, since the chili has built its reputation on value in addition to flavor. A 20-ounce all-beef brick of Dolores Chili serves four to five, and varies in price between $4 and $5, depending on the retailer.
“At just 99 cents, the chili sauce offers customers a lower-cost option — perfect for keeping within a budget — but in a size that still satisfies,” Muñoz said.
99 Cents Only joins Superior, Food4Less and Winco Foods as other outlets where chili lovers can enjoy the Dolores flavor. Retail stores and Smart&Final offer 20-ounce bricks and five-pound trays of Dolores Chili. In 2011, Dolores Chicken Chili was introduced and made available at Superior Grocers across California.
Dolores Chili is also served at countless foodservice establishments throughout the West Coast and is a favorite at Downtown L.A.’s famous Philippe the Original.
Chili Brick® moves to No. 2 spot in LA area Meat Department Sales
Ground beef, steaks, chicken breast, lunch meat, sausage and Chili Brick®. Last fall Chili Brick® was ranked No. 3 amongst these items stocked in Southern California’s Food 4 Less fresh meat cases. READ MORE...Trends
Chili Brick® adds another chain to the list. Vons will now carry Chili Bricks® in their frozen section.
For years, Chili Brick® has been a popular item at various Southern California grocery stores. At chains such as Stater Brothers, Albertson's and Food 4 Less, the Chili Brick® is on shelves behind freezer doors or next to frozen poultry and beef in the frozen meat section. Vons is the newest edition to the list. read this .pdf ...
Chili Brick® can now be found in the frozen meat department at all 325 Vons stores across Southern California, from Central California to the Mexican Border. Although the Chili Brick® has been sold at a limited number of Vons stores for the past 25 years, shoppers have had difficulty finding the famous Chili Brick® in all Vons locations. After years of customer requests, the decision was made to carry the Chili Bricks® throughout the entire chain.
"We've enjoyed working with select Vons stores for years, but now it's in all of them across Southern California," said Dolores Chili's president, David Munoz. "Consumers throughout the southland have called and asked why they couldn't find the Chili Bricks® in their local Vons store. Now we can direct them to any Vons store location. We're excited and we look forward to working closer with Vons."
Dolores Canning Co., the manufacturer of the Chili Brick®, expects to begin sampling programs within the next week at several Vons stores. Dolores employees will present recipes and sample prepared Chili Brick®, demonstrating ways to use the versatile product.
Chili Brick®, an all-beef chili, is fully cooked and is sold frozen in the meat department. The great taste and ease of use is an alternative to traditional "canned" chili. The famous chili has been made in East Los Angeles since 1973 and is distributed throughout the West Coast. Each tray sells for $4.29 and will serve four to six people.
Chili Bricks® are also sold to restaurant owners and operators at Smart & Final and Restaurant Depot behind freezer doors, and on Costco Wholesale's on-line Business Delivery page. Distributors across Southern California and nationwide also carry the Chili Bricks on their product lists and sell to restaurants, fast food chains and hamburger and hot dog stands.
Distributors who wish to add Dolores Chili Bricks to their product list should contact Munoz at sales@dolorescanning.com.
Dolores Chili is famous at Philippe the Original in Downtown L.A where it is served in a cup with crackers on the side.
Chilidogs, chili burgers, chili fries and the famous straight bowl of chili are the most common ways Dolores Chili is served.
Dolorescanning.com also sells the chili directly to consumers at www.dolorescanning.com/catalog.
Find a nearby Vons store at https://www.vons.com/ifl/grocery/store-locator. Download .pdf
According to Ralphs and Food 4 Less grocery stores, Chili Brick® is the number three item sold in their meat department. Just behind front-runners Oscar Meyer and Farmer John, the all beef, 20-ounce Chili Brick® topped the sales reports at the end of the third quarter for the LA area. "We're starting to make a hype in grocery stores. When people don't see our product, they're asking for it, and when it's there, they're buying it," said David Muñoz, Dolores Canning Co. president. The Chili Brick's® continued popularity at Ralphs and Food 4 Less has placed it alongside top selling national brand items providing excellent value for consumers. The frozen, fully cooked Chili Bricks® are sold for $4.29, and one brick can serve four to six people. The proven seller can be served in a bowl, topped on a dog, nachos or burger, paired with any main dish, or in various recipes calling for chili. It is raved about on blogs, recipes, and Facebook and Twitter posts. Some fans, friends and followers say the chili is the base of their homemade recipes. Countless fans from around the country get their "Chili fix" weekly by ordering the chili online. Dolores Canning Co., the manufacturer of the Chili Brick®, sells its product in grocery chains beyond Ralphs and Food 4 Less. Two weeks ago, the company announced the expansion of its Chili Brick to all 325 Southern California Vons stores. The brick is also sold in most Southern California grocery chains such as Albertson's & Stater Brothers, as well as countless independents. Club stores & Foodservice stores like Smart & Final and Restaurant Depot carry the larger size, 5-pound tray. Restaurants such as Philippe the Original, in Downtown LA, feature the famous chili on their menu. Distributors carry the chili and distribute to restaurant chains and independent establishments. Dolores Canning Co. is a family owned, third generation and minority owned business. The company has been making the famous Chili Brick® since 1954 at its East Los Angeles plant. The chili can be purchased direct on-line at https://dolorescanning.com/catalog/.