Interview: Carniceria Super Loa, Super Family Loa

After a long day of working to serve his customers in the best possible way, and at the same time, making sure that the proper hygiene and rules of social distancing are being followed in his four locations, I finally got interview time with the owner of Super Carnicería Loa #6, #7, #9 and #11. If you are wondering who we are talking about, the gentleman is Junior Loa, an accountant originally from México. To be exact, he is from La Isla de Cedros, situated on the Northeast coast of the Mexican state of Baja California. Isla de Cedros is one of the few places on the globe where human harvesting of marine resources has not yet resulted in an ecological collapse. We can write about this fascinating place for pages but let us go back to chat with Mr. Junior Loa.

Junior, as everyone knows him, arrived in the US in May 2001.  His first job was fixing houses, which lasted for about three months. Then he started working for his family who by then owned some stores in Dalton and Calhoun, GA. This experience was the beginning of his vision and as he calls it, “his dream”. Junior worked for his family for about two and a half years, and in February 2004, he opened his first store with the name Super Carnicería Loa # 6!

Our conversation with Junior immediately jumped to an introduction of his wife, Dora. “My wife is from Guadalajara.  She and I shared a dream more than 20 years ago.  Little by little and together with our four children, we have gotten closer to where we can see our work reflected in ourselves. We feel proud of what we have accomplished”. When we asked, what has been the most difficult time during all these years, Junior replied, “We have been blessed, and we have been able to work hard. I am a faithful believer that everything you dream of can be achieved. We have always set a deadline for each goal we needed to accomplish, and we were able to achieve our goals by working hard and dedicating long hours in the beginning. We have had to live in the store at times. I remember when our children day after day would fall sleep under the counter of the store, waiting for us to stop working. Also, being distant from family and missing important family occasions was devastating for us, but every experience shaped us in who we are now.  We are a family that not only helps our customers but a family who tries always to help others whenever we possibly can”.

Junior describes success as something that has different phases.  If we are talking about success in our business, I believe you have to measure success by the way you have manipulated the gifts you were born with and the other traits that you have learned along the way, to accomplish your goals. When Junior looks at family and personal success, he smiles with happiness and feels he can now relax a bit.  "Mission accomplished," Junior said with a huge smile. Lastly, he never loses sight of his goals and tries to continue doing everything he can to do everything right and keep learning. One-point Junior was eager to mention is regarding the people he has met along his journey. “I have to give thanks for the help I received along the way. You find great people who give you a hand when you need it.  I will always be grateful to Don Rene Diaz, for whom I have great respect for and I’ll remember him forever, for reaching out and helping me when I needed it. Those things you never forget”. 

When we asked Junior if there was something he regretted or would change from the past, he replied “Looking back, I would not change anything that I have done until now. What I have done along with my family is what I had to do. My wife, my older son, and my daughters have been a fundamental part of our business. We have learned from the mistakes, and I would do it over again the same way."

Junior mentioned that he owes the success of his stores to great customer service. Throughout all these years he has made an effort to know his customers by name, and some of them are like a family to him. When these customers walk into his stores, they are greeted by their first name and asked about their families. We offer the best prices we can and even allow our customers who spend $45.00 or more to take a free soda, juice, or sometimes even milk. We also offer some of our long time customers the ability to take groceries with them and come back and pay us later. "Nobody leaves empty-handed when they shop at Super Carniceria Loa,” said Junior.

There are 12+ Loa Supermarkets but Junior is the owner and runs these four locations:

Super Carnicería Loa # 9
203 Keith St. NW   Cleveland, TN  37311
Phone: 423 614-4241 

Super Carnicería Loa # 11
4816 Hixson Pike  - Hixon TN 37343
Phone: 423 870-7100

Super Carnicería Loa # 6 
400 Chickamauga Rd Chattanooga, TN  37421
Phone: 423 510-8222

Super Carnicería Loa #7
1500 Broad St.  Chattanooga, TN  37408
Phone: 423 634-0565