Where our journey began.
Our story begins in Michoacán, Mexico, where our family has been making paletas since the early 1970s, a tradition passed down through generations of paleteros.
In 1974 my grandfather had the opportunity to purchase a small neighborhood paletería. In February 1980 he passed the business on to my dad, Geronimo. With my mom, Dora Maria, by his side, my dad poured everything he had into that little paletería.
Years later, our family brought those same recipes and traditions from Michoacán to Tennessee. We still make our paletas the traditional way, by hand, with real fruit and recipes passed down through our family. Every paleta is a little piece of our history.

Why “Padrino”?
One evening at dinner the family was joking about how much Geronimo looks like Don Vito from The Godfather. Someone blurted out “Padrino's Pops!” and the name stuck. Padrino is Spanish for godfather.
- 1974Grandfather buys a neighborhood paletería in Michoacán
- 1980Geronimo and Dora Maria take it over
- 2014Padrino's Pops opens in Nashville
- TodayMade by hand in Columbia, TN, by the Cantu family
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