Goya Foods was founded in 1933, by Prudencio Unanue Ortiz from Valle de Mena, Spain. Prudencio immigrated to Puerto Rico, where he met and married Carolina Casal, also a Spanish immigrant; they later moved to New York City. The family had originally opened a small store front called; "Unanue and Sons" in 1922 however, converted to wholesale in the mid 1930s. Prudencio 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. 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, 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.
Description
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. In 2006, Forbes ranked Goya 355th on its list of the largest private companies in the United States. 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 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.
Corporate affairs
Goya Gives
"Goya Gives" is a program to support various charities, scholarships, and events, and includes donations of products to food shelters and food banks during times of crisis, such as Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. In March and April 2020, in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, Goya donated over of food, or about 270,000 meals, to food banks and other organizations in the United States, and also donated more than 20,000 protective masks.
MyPlate/MiPlato campaign
In 2012, the company joined First Lady Michelle Obama's "My Plate" healthy eating initiative.
At a July 2020 White Houseroundtable event with President Donald Trump, Goya Foods Co-Owner and CEO Robert Unanue praised Trump, saying that the country was "truly blessed to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder". He drew a comparison between Trump and his immigrant grandfather, the founder of the company, saying "that’s what my grandfather did. He came to this country to build, to grow and to prosper. And we have an incredible builder and we pray, we pray for our leadership, our president and for our country, that we continue to prosper and to grow". In response, there were calls from some members of the public and current and former Democraticelected officials calling for a boycott of the brand. Unanue called the boycott "suppression of speech" and declined to apologize for his comments. A product boycott was supported by hashtags on social media, and by various public figures, including Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Julian Castro and Lin-Manuel Miranda. A Goya supporter in Virginia responded by raising over $234,000 to buy Goya products and donate them to food pantries. Goya also stated that it gave two million pounds of food for those affected by COVID-19.
