Competition heated up in 1964, when the Continental Baking Co., the makers of Wonder Bread, reached Mexico to compete in consumer segments then demanding foreign goods. Bimbo acquired Mexico rights to the Quality Bakers of America’s Sunbeam brand.

There were memorable battles in the contest to curry consumer tastes, such as what happened with Wonder’s Twinkies and Marinela’s Submarinos, though Bimbo never lost its market leadership position. “Wonder was a wake-up call,” recalls Jaime Jorba. “Something had to be done to avoid the competition ‘eating our lunch,’ as it were. They set up weekly executive meetings for decision-making. The really massive growth happened starting then.”