Gypsum Couple Opens Con Sabor a México Paleta Shop in Dakotah Square

"¿Qué hace falta aquí en el valle?"

That was the question Rosaly Ortiz asked herself, standing in the quiet hum of a new commercial space in Gypsum. It wasn’t a rhetorical question. It was the engine behind Con Sabor a México, a traditional Mexican paleta shop that opened its doors on May 25, 2024, inside the Dakotah Square complex.

The answer, it turns out, was a slice of childhood nostalgia that locals didn’t know they were missing until it was sitting in their hands.

The history of the paleta artesanal is as specific as it is old. It began in the 1940s in the remote state of Michoacán, where producers discovered that using natural fruit and handmade recipes created flavors far more intense than anything industrial. For decades, the traditional paletero pushed a cart through plazas and busy town squares. The demand evolved. The flavors multiplied. Today, neverías offer a vast array of products designed to delight the palate.

Rosaly knows this history intimately. Born in New Mexico but raised in the rural community of Rubio, Chihuahua, she grew up in a place where enjoying a rich paleta and a good conversation was the standard way to welcome the sunset. She moved to Colorado in 2017, invited by friends to test the mountains. She worked in restaurants. She supervised cleaning crews. She worked for other companies. Then she met her husband, Edgar. They had a baby.

The business idea didn’t come from a market analysis report. It came from a gap in the local landscape.

"It was our idea: 'Let's start a business,'" Rosaly recalls. "What is missing here in the valley?"

Edgar, who works in construction, found the location. It was a central, strategic spot in Dakotah Square, surrounded by houses and apartments. It was a place where children and adults could walk to buy products, just like they do in the neighborhood palerías of Mexico. The project couldn’t wait. The location was too good.

Opening day brought its own set of challenges. "At first, it was very heavy because I had my baby very small," Rosaly admits. But the rhythm of the shop settled into a predictable, comforting cadence. The nieve — the creamy, ice-cream-like treat — is prepared weekly. It’s a mix of milk, whipping cream, and flavor, churned in a machine that finishes a batch in just ten minutes. But patience is required. It takes 48 hours for the mixture to reach the consistency needed for sale.

Rosaly is constantly experimenting. She’s found suppliers. She’s tested combinations that work in traditional Mexican shops. The result is a menu of 50 different flavors, including the classic paleta esquimal.

This isn't just about selling frozen treats. It’s about filling a void in Gypsum’s social fabric. It’s about giving neighbors a place to stop, to talk, to share a moment that feels both ancient and entirely new to this corner of the Western Slope.

The shop sits in Dakotah Square now, a bright spot in a complex of apartments and homes. People walk in. They choose their flavor. They step out. And for a few minutes, the busy commute slows down, replaced by the simple, sweet act of eating a paleta on a Colorado afternoon.