Goya

          Goya was founded in 1936, by Prudencio Unanue Ortiz (1886–1976) from Valle de Mena, Spain. Unanue immigrated to Puerto Rico, where he met and married Carolina Casal (1890–1984), also a Spanish immigrant; they later moved to New York City and started Goya in a small storefront on Duane Street in Lower Manhattan. Ortiz purchased the "Goya" name from a Moroccan sardine company because he believed that his last name was too difficult to pronounce for American customers and also liked the association to Spanish artist Francisco Goya.
          Driven by the belief that there was a growing consumer market for high-quality, fresh-tasting, Latin foods, the Unanues catered to local Hispanic families by distributing authentic Spanish products including olives, olive oil, and sardines.
          As the Hispanic population grew in New York and throughout the United States, Goya’s product line and facilities expanded as well. The company relocated from Lower Manhattan to Brooklyn in 1958, until it established its current headquarters in New Jersey in 1974.
          When Prudencio Unanue died in 1976, he left Goya to his sons, Joseph, Charles, Francisco and Anthony. Upon his father's death, Joseph A. Unanue became chief executive of Goya, then a fairly small, $8.5 million company. As president and chief executive of the company, Joseph shared control with his brother Francisco, who served as president of Goya de Puerto Rico Inc., responsible for much of the company's manufacturing operations. Joseph A. Unanue's son, Joseph F. Unanue, was general manager and vice president of Goya de Puerto Rico from 1989 to 1996, when he became executive vice president at the company's New Jersey, assuming the No. 2 position in the company; he died two years later.
          During Joseph A. Unanue's decades at the head of the company, Goya grew to become a major corporation. By 1998, the company produced about 800 food items (including rice, beans, sauces, and spices), had 2,000 employees, and about $700 million in revenue. Joseph A. Unanue was ousted from his position as Goya chairman and CEO in 2014, amid an feud in the Unanue family about the direction of the company.  At the time of Joseph A. Unanue's ouster, Goya was generating from $750 million, to more than $1 billion in revenue. Joseph's son Andy Unanue, the chief operating officer of the company, also left Goya amid the disagreement, prompting litigation. Robert Unanue and his cousin Francisco Unanue made the decision to remove Andy, who had previously been considered the "heir apparent" to Goya. Joseph Unanue retained a significant stake in the company, and retained a seat on its board; he died in 2013. Robert Unanue has been the chief executive since 2004. The fracturing of Goya's ownership among its founders' descendants has frequently led to disputes about the company's strategy.
          In 2012, the company began construction on a $127 million distribution center in the industrial Meadowlands area of Jersey City, backed by state tax incentives that aided the company in its move from Secaucus to the Jersey City site.
          In 2019, Goya had talks with The Carlyle Group about a possible buyout; the company ultimately decided not to sell itself to The Carlyle Group.
          Goya manufactures and distributes products from the Spanish, Puerto Rican, Caribbean, Mexican, Cuban and Central and South American cuisine. Their products are sold in stores and supermarket chains throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and international markets.
          Between 2014 and 2016 Goya opened five new facilities including manufacturing and distribution centers located in New Jersey, Texas, California, and Georgia to meet rising consumer demand. Currently, Goya Foods is headquartered on a 40-acre (16 ha) lot in Jersey City, New Jersey. Goya also operates a manufacturing facility in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic, and a distribution center in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
          In total, the company now boasts 26 facilities throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Spain, and employs over 4,000 worldwide.
          Goya provides consumers with over 2,500 high-quality and affordable food products from the Caribbean, Mexico, Spain, Central and South America. Goya has fostered a longstanding history in leading the culinary culture of Latin cuisine in the United States while solidifying its position as an iconic symbol beginning in New York City. The company’s commitment to excellence is the cornerstone of Goya’s popular credo, “If It’s Goya, It Has To Be Good”. The result of this simple, yet deeply resonant pledge is the evolution of Goya Foods as a leader in the Latin American food industry and a trusted American brand.
          Goya has positioned its diverse product lines as a reputable brand among both the Hispanic market and mainstream consumers, generating $1.5 billion in annual sales. Once only sold in bodegas, mom & pop specialty stores to now, national club stores like Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s Wholesale, Goya Foods can be found in aisles across the nation. The evolution and success of Goya Foods have demonstrated the company’s strength and brand power within the Hispanic market and its crossover into mainstream America.
(Fonte: site da empresa / Wikipedia - partes)