LA FERIA — Growing up, Daniela Salazar, 36, and Sarahi Sosa, 31, watched their mother make tamales as a side job to support their family.

Now, both sisters are continuing the tradition, but with an updated twist.

Tamales “Las Tres Primas,” named after their daughters who are cousins, specializes in making vegan tamales.

Both women grew up in La Feria, and in the past, Sosa was the only one making tamales to sell. She has been making them for five years. But just a year ago, she and Salazar united forces to create their own business.

Salazar has been working in the cosmetology business for years and many of her clients were vegan or vegetarian, which is what prompted the duo.

“When she told me she was making tamales for this lady that doesn’t like them with lard, I was like, ‘What do you mean, you can do them without lard?’” Salazar said.

“She said, ‘Yes you can use oils,’ and I said we need to try them,” she said.

Sosa was in charge of creating the special masa, and they both began testing the flavor. Once it was finalized, their name and logo was created by Salazar.

Sosa makes the tamales, and Salazar helps her spread the masa on the leaves and takes orders. The original recipe comes from their mother, but now, it includes Sosa’s tweaks.

In the past, Sosa made small batches for acquaintances and friends, but now as partners, their clientele has increased tremendously.

Sosa said it was getting overwhelming and knew she needed help.

“People wanted more. It went from buying one dozen or two to five or six. She is a lot of help with the spreading,” Sosa said.

They have joined forces since last year and experienced their first holiday season last winter. However, both of their skills balance each other out.

“I am more of the marketing side and I like to deal with the people, and she is the one cooking,” Salazar said.

Now, they sell at the Harlingen Farmer’s Market, which starts at 3 p.m., but they begin prepping for it at 5 a.m.

“But we are excited to get up. We love market days,” Sosa said.

“That week off, we make them, we slow steam them. Everybody makes them in an hour, and we make them in four hours. We take care of them,” Sosa added.

The vegan tamales made by Daniela Salazar and Sarahi Sosa of La Feria have become a very popular food item and keeps them very busy preparing the dozens of tamales ordered.

Sosa learned from her mother tamales are very “forgiving,” meaning she does not have to over think it when making them.

Salazar said the first batch for market days is out by 10 a.m. and usually they make about 50 dozen for that hour and a half they are at market.

Normally, they sell out.

“This past weekend we almost cried. People bought them and went to their car and started eating them. They tell us they don’t even make it to their house,” Salazar said.

Before selling at market days, they would do home deliveries from Weslaco to Brownsville. As of right now, they do not deliver, but on holidays, they do make the exception.

During that time, it was hard for them to keep track of numbers because most families were asking for 14 dozens or more.

Their flavors include classic non-vegan options such as chicken or pork, cream cheese and chicken, spicy pork, and spicy chicken.

The vegan options include mushrooms, red bell peppers, spinach, and vegan cheese. Also, vegan cream cheese, jalapenos and spinach and black beans with roasted poblano vegan sauce.

The classic tamales are $8.50 a dozen, the spicy options are $9.50, and cream cheese with chicken are $10.50. All vegan options are $12.50.

Salazar thought to herself most of the Valley has vegan restaurants, but in the Harlingen and surrounding areas she had not heard of vegan tamales.

“People want to celebrate their traditions during the holidays, but they can only find chicken and pork. And I told my sister, if we can give those people that opportunity to have their table with tamales, and they are vegan, that is amazing to me,” Salazar said.

“We grew up with my mom making them every single year, and people who don’t eat meat need to have that, too. That makes me happy knowing people can enjoy those traditions,” she said.

Sosa mentioned the fact they are continuing her mother’s tradition is something her mother feels happy about in specific — knowing her daughters are keeping the family tradition alive.

“My mom told me I used to tell her I was her hands, and she would be my brain to keep going. I am still her hands, and she is the brain,” Sosa said.

“We grew up with everybody just ‘embarrando,’” Salazar said about memories of her family spreading the masa on the leaves.

Sosa and Salazar have told their daughters as soon as they get old enough, they will be helping too.

“They ask to help now but I told them, they don’t even know. Just how we did after our mom they will help us too,” Salazar said.

“They are the ‘tres primas’ so they better keep it going,” Sosa said.

In a way, this business venture has helped these two sisters get closer together, and for Salazar, it helped her during a time she needed an extra income.

“We shut down at my job for two months and I was like, ‘What the heck am I going do?’” Salazar said.

“Having this little thing on the side, I feel OK now. We are good,” she said.

In the future, Sosa said she would want to get more stoves; her dream is to have an eight burner stove.

One of their sisters who is not a part of the business helped them out by gifting them a fridge, which has helped them store their multiple orders.

“I want to be able to make as many as I can. That is why we started, I asked her if I could use her stove,” Sosa said.

Both agreed the flavors of their tamales are what has made them successful, not necessarily the fact that they are vegan.

“The vegan for sure gave us that little jump, but her masa is good. I know she is my sister and all, but she has worked that recipe really good,” Salazar said.

“A client asked us where we got it but it is not something that you can buy,” she said.