Hispanic independent grocer Mi Pueblo Food Center opens its 15th full-service grocery store today in San Rafael, Calif.

The new store, located in the Canal neighborhood, provides employment for more than 175 Bay Area residents, who were selected from a pool of over 3,500 applicants.

San Jose, Calif.-based Mi Pueblo’s success has enabled it to invest in the local economy and in future growth, despite the tough economy. This year, it will open five new stores in northern California and hire at least 850 people between now and the end of the year, according to Perla A. Rodrguez, VP of public affairs for the grocer. In 2009, Mi Pueblo created approximately 650 new jobs in the Bay Area, over twice as many as the 275 new jobs it created in 2008.

Mi Pueblo operates 15 locations in the Bay Area, Monterey Peninsula and Central Valley, and was named an Outstanding Independent grocer by Progressive Grocer in 2009.