MONTERREY, MÉXICO—For many Americans, a trip to México might bring up images of walking on the beach, exploring picturesque towns, hiking mountains, enjoying agave fields, and the chance to taste the incredible food. But for Mexicans, a beloved Texas grocery store is the new dream destination. In fact, H-E-B  has become a cultural phenomenon synonymous with life in the northern part of the United Mexican States. 

A viral TikTok meme captures the fascination: tourists arrive in Monterrey, Nuevo León, searching for the city’s so-called attractions. “Dad, where are the attractions?” the voice of Timmy Turner from The Fairly OddParents (Los padrinos mágicos in Spanish) asks. The camera pans to a glowing H-E-B logo with Timmy’s Dad’s voice and the meme creators jumping up and down, “This is the attraction! Yay!” Regios — the shortened demonym for people from Monterrey — laugh at this because it’s true. For them, H-E-B is much more than a supermarket: It’s a place of pilgrimage, a status symbol to be proud of, and a strong identity marker.

@bunnyisarider0 Bienvenidos a Monterrey! #HEB ♬ sonido original – Audios Pizzita

As politicians in the United States and México ramp up the nationalistic rhetoric, H-E-B’s appeal to Regios holds steadfast. In response to Trump’s tariff threats, President Claudia Sheinbaum deployed Plan México to encourage people to buy national and diminish the dependence on U.S. goods. But after one quick chat with the locals, it’s evident no one in Monterrey is about to give up their Creamy Creations ice cream over some speech about Mexican sovereignty (sorry, Claudia). Despite mounting tensions between the countries north and south of the Rio Grande, H-E-B’s stores continue to thrive, seemingly immune to the ups and downs of the bilateral relationship. How did this Texas import manage to amass such a level of goodwill?

H-E-B opened its first store in México in 1997 in San Pedro Garza García, part of the Monterrey metropolitan area, three hours south of Laredo. The move made a lot of sense. Historically, Regios have traveled to Texas for shopping trips and vacations in Laredo, San Antonio, and South Padre Island. A local term, McAlleando, is used to describe the act of shopping in McAllen, another popular Texan destination for Regios. By the time H-E-B arrived in Nuevo León, Regios had been buying groceries at its Texas stores for years and were already familiar with the products. 

Thanks to this pre-existing brand recognition, the Kerrville-born chain was able to establish itself quickly in the region. “H-E-B entered the Regio culture like a knife through butter,” said Andrés Clariond, a film director and columnist for El Norte newspaper. Regios who shop in Texas “have long attributed high status and prestige to H-E-B,” he told The Barbed Wire. Having an H-E-B back home was something that made Regios feel “exclusive and privileged.”

Texas and Nuevo León’s economic ties have always been strong, and choosing the state was a no-brainer, but it was NAFTA that truly accelerated H-E-B’s expansion. NAFTA made imports easier and trading goods across the border more profitable. H-E-B’s CEO Howard Butt III, who previously led the Mexican division, admitted that the move began to be seriously considered while the U.S. Congress and the Mexican Congress were debating the agreement. They bet on their brand already being a staple for northern Mexicans who crossed the border during holidays and special occasions. Texans love H-E-B, so there was a good chance that adoration would be contagious. Ever since, H-E-B has been growing consistently in México. Today, it boasts 87 stores in the country, and Nuevo León is its most important market, home to 29 H-E-B and 14 Mi Tienda del Ahorro stores (which are exclusive to México and Houston). There isn’t even an H-E-B in Dallas yet — though one is coming.

To achieve its current status, the supermarket not only coasted on its appeal to Regios; early on, it understood the importance of connecting with customers. They stocked local brands alongside Texan imports, offering traditional pan dulce, corn and flour tortillas at in-house bakeries, and featured meat departments with cuts that satisfy even the most demanding carne asada enthusiasts. The supermarket claims 87% of its new suppliers in its Mexican stores are national brands, and it has contracts with about 700 small businesses. 

The chain also invests in the community. It wholeheartedly supports the two local professional soccer teams, Tigres and Rayados, and it often partners with civil society organizations in community projects like Hambre Cero, an initiative to eradicate hunger. Though Walmart had set up shop in Monterrey before H-E-B, its generic sterile feel was no match for H-E-B’s well-received efforts to fully integrate into the Regio way of life. Last year, the company reported a 41% market share in Monterrey.  

Consumer Culture Theory (CCT) explains how brands both reflect and shape identities. H-E-B has become so embedded in Regio culture that shopping there reinforces Regio identity. It is shorthand for “I am Regio, a savvy grocery shopper, and I have great taste.” Arturo Montemayor, a fan of the store, told The Barbed Wire, “Even though the store is not from here, it does feel like it is our store. There’s definitely an aspirational element (of consuming imported goods), but, in any case, many Regios do feel they have more in common with Texas than with other parts of México.” 

Weekly grocery trips to H-E-B are a fun experience for Regios. Montemayor, who loves to cook, says he finds walking down the aisles relaxing, even when he is not looking for anything in particular. “When I’m buying something from their brand, I feel like I’m getting something that is both affordable and high quality,” he observes. Some of his favorite H-E-B staples are (like Texans) the butter-flavored tortillas, croissants for Christmas, and the roasted poblano peppers in the frozen section.

The proliferation of social media memes and commentary linking Regios to H-E-B (el eichibí) only adds to its mystique. When the late legendary Mexican singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel was photographed happily pushing a cart full of H-E-B bags (iconic), the snapshot provided Regios with evidence that their love for the store is well justified. 

Then again, some simply don’t connect with the lore of the big red and white logo. One exasperated poster wondered what was wrong with Regios and why their lives revolved around H-E-B. 

On TikTok, jokes frame the supermarket as an intrinsic part of Monterrey, as ubiquitous as the famous Cerro de la Silla. Regios aren’t offended by all of this; they are obsessed, and they don’t care who knows it.

@angelsoyyo_ Somso regios @Patricio viral #monterrey #nuevoleon #norteño #primas #sonora #sinaloa #tijuana #carnitaasada #heb #tigres #rayados #adrianmarcelo #hermanosdeleche #garza ♬ Alucin – Eugenio Esquivel & Grupo Marca Registrada & Sebastian Esquivel

Right now, nationalist sentiment is running high in México. On March 9, President Sheinbaum and her party organized a massive political rally in Mexico City’s main square, the Zocalo, to assert the country’s sovereignty against President Trump’s attacks. But when it comes to H-E-B in Nuevo León, calls for economic nationalism will always fall flat. This cross-border institution has been woven into what it means to be Regio. At this point, even if a full trade war eventually erupts between the United States and México, it’s hard to imagine Regios turning against the store. 

H-E-B’s soft power in this Mexican region is unmatched. As defined by Joseph Nye, soft power is about influencing people through attraction rather than threats or coercion. H-E-B has become an ambassador for Texas and for the United States, a palatable version of the American dream that Regios feel they can attain without leaving their neighborhood. This is soft power — drenched in French onion dip — at its peak. The brand has become so essential to people’s daily lives that they even forget it’s a foreign brand. 

Walk through an H-E-B in the Monterrey metropolitan area on any given Sunday, and you’ll find it full of families filling their carts, some of them drinking coffee and enjoying a hot meal at the in-store cafeteria. You will also find Texas and Nuevo León blending seamlessly. Rancheritos sit comfortably next to H-E-B’s chips, and Leche LALA shares fridge space with H-E-B’s Original Almond Milk. It all feels natural, not forced. H-E-B is not just a store here; it’s now part of Regio DNA. And no tariff or politician, from México or the U.S., seems likely to change that. 

Bárbara González is a freelance writer based in Monterrey, México.

Bárbara González is a political commentator and writer based in Monterrey, Nuevo León. Her work explores the intersections of politics, culture, and cross-border dynamics.