Goya Foods

Template:Short description Template:Infobox company Goya Foods, Inc., is a private American multinational producer and distributor of foods and beverages sold in the United States and many Spanish-speaking countries. The company operates facilities in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Spain. It is under third-generation ownership of the Spanish-American Unanue family and is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey.<ref name="Goya opens new HQ">Template:Cite web</ref>

The company was founded in 1936 by Prudencio Unanue Ortiz and Carolina Casal de Valdez, a Spanish married couple who emigrated to New York City. Upon Prudencio's death in 1976, the company was valued at $8.5 million,<ref name="Jordan" /> and was passed on to sons Joseph, Charles, Francisco, and Anthony. Under Joseph's tenure as chief executive Goya became a major corporation, which by 1998 produced about 800 food items, employed 2,000 workers, and had about US$700 million in annual revenue.<ref name="Jordan" /> In 2004, Joseph was ousted by fellow family members, who replaced him with Robert Unanue, son of Anthony. By that time, the company was generating more than $1 billion in annual revenue.<ref name="Craig" />

History

Don Prudencio Unanue and wife<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Goya Foods was established in the United States in 1936, in New York City,<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> by Prudencio Unanue Ortiz (1886–1976) from Valle de Mena, Spain. Previously, he had immigrated to Puerto Rico, where he met and married Carolina Casal (1890–1984), also a Spanish immigrant.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There the family had opened a small store called "Unanue and Sons" in 1922; however, it was converted to wholesale in the mid 1930s.<ref name="Board1961">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Gabaccia2000">Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYDN">Template:Cite news</ref>

When Prudencio Unanue died in 1976, he left Goya to his sons, Joseph, Charles, Francisco, and Anthony.<ref name=Craig>Susanne Craig, Joseph A. Unanue, Former Chief Executive of Goya Foods, Dies at 88, New York Times (June 15, 2013).</ref> Joseph A. Unanue became president and chief executive of Goya, then just an $8.5 million company,<ref name=Jordan>Miriam Jordan, A Family Fights Over the Future Of Goya Foods, Wall Street Journal (March 11, 2004).</ref> sharing control with Francisco, who served as president of Goya de Puerto Rico Inc., responsible for much of the company's manufacturing operations.<ref name=Treaster>Joseph B. Treaster, Joseph F. Unanue, 41, Executive Vice President at Goya Foods, New York Times (December 4, 1998).</ref> 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 headquarters, assuming the No. 2 position in the company; he died two years later.<ref name=Treaster/>

During Joseph A. Unanue's decades at the head of the company Goya grew to become a major corporation.<ref name=Jordan/> By 1998, the company had 2,000 employees, and about $700 million in revenue<ref name=Treaster/> from about 800 food items (including rice, beans, sauces, and spices). He was ousted from his then position as Goya chairman and CEO in 2004, amid a feud in the Unanue family about the direction of the company.<ref name=Craig/><ref name=Miller/><ref name=Jordan/> At the time Goya was generating from $750 million<ref name=Miller>Stephen Miller, Joseph Unanue Took Hispanic Food to the Masses at Goya Foods, Wall Street Journal (June 14, 2013).</ref> to more than $1 billion in revenue.<ref name=Craig/> Joseph's son Andy Unanue, the chief operating officer of the company, was forced out of Goya amid the disagreement,<ref name=Craig/><ref name=Schwaneberg>Robert Schwaneberg, NJ Senate candidate Andy Unanue fell from grace at family's company, NJ.com (March 26, 2008).</ref> prompting litigation.<ref name=Schwaneberg/> Robert Unanue (Anthony's son) and Template:Clarification needed span made the decision to remove Andy, who had previously been considered the "heir apparent" to Goya.<ref name=Jordan/> Joseph Unanue retained a significant stake in the company, and retained a seat on its board; he died in 2013.<ref name=Craig/> Robert Unanue has been the chief executive since 2004.<ref name=Hirsch>Lauren Hirsch, Family-run Latin food giant Goya weighs possible $3 billion sale, CNBC May 29, 2020).</ref> The fracturing of Goya's ownership among its founders' descendants has frequently led to disputes about the company's strategy.<ref name=Hirsch/>

In 2012, the company began construction on a $127 million distribution center in the industrial Meadowlands area of Jersey City, backed by New Jersey state tax incentives that aided the company in its move from Secaucus.<ref>Heather Haddon, Goya Foods Breaks Ground in Jersey City, Wall Street Journal (September 5, 2012).</ref>

In 2019, Goya had talks with The Carlyle Group about a possible buyout, which did not proceed.<ref>Cathy Siegner, Report: Goya Foods rejects sale to retain family leadership, Food Dive (November 27, 2019).</ref><ref>Pan Demetrakakes, Report: Goya Rejects Buyout Offer, Food Processing (November 27, 2019).</ref>

Description

Goya brand beans, peas, and lentils

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 (including Puerto Rico) and international markets. In 2006, Forbes ranked Goya 355th on its list of the largest private companies in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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 Template:Convert lot in Jersey City, New Jersey.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Goya also operates a manufacturing facility in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic, and a distribution center in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.Template:Citation needed

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In March and April 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Goya donated over Template:Convert 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.<ref name="Goya stung">Template:Cite web</ref>

MyPlate/MiPlato campaign

In 2012, the company joined First Lady Michelle Obama's "My Plate" healthy eating initiative.<ref name="Remarks by First Lady">Template:Cite web</ref>

Political views

President Donald J. Trump advertising Goya products on the Resolute desk in the White House on July 15, 2020

On July 9, 2020, at a White House roundtable discussion of the Hispanic Prosperity Initiative with President Donald Trump, Goya Foods co-owner and CEO Robert Unanue praised Trump, saying the country was "truly blessed [...] to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder" and adding, "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."<ref name="Nelson">Template:Cite web</ref>

Unanue's comments prompted a call for a public boycott on social media, which was supported by various Latino public figures, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Julian Castro, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Calls to Boycott">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Facing boycott">Template:Cite web</ref> In response, Unanue stated the next day that this was a "suppression of speech" and declined to apologize for his comments.<ref name="Nelson"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Supporters called for an anti-boycott "buycott" in support of the company.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Goya used its corporate Twitter account to call attention to its pledge made at the White House event to donate cans of food for those affected by COVID-19,<ref name="Fordham">Template:Cite news</ref> and a Goya supporter launched a GoFundMe campaign that raised money to buy Goya products and donate them to food pantries.<ref name="Fordham"/>

On December 7, 2020, Unanue stated that Ocasio-Cortez was named "employee of the month" after her boycott call led to a 1000% sales spike.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On January 26, 2021, Goya's board of directors voted to censure Unanue following statements disputing the 2020 United States presidential election, banning him from speaking to the media. An anonymous CNN source familiar with the board’s actions claimed that Unanue's statements "imperiled the future of the company and endangered the lives of some of the shareholders," and that the controversy following Unanue's White House appearance had not been good for the company.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> The majority of the company's board favored removing Unanue from his position, but the family-owned business regulations did not allow for that.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

During CPAC 2021, Goya Foods CEO Unanue claimed the 2020 election was illegitimate, and that Donald Trump was "the real, the legitimate, and the still actual president".<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>

In April, 2023, Jura Liaukonyte, an economics professor at Cornell University said that boycott efforts of Goya foods had not only failed, but had actually led to an increase in Goya sales. Liaukonyte made the statement during an interview regarding the 2023 boycott of Bud Light beer. Boycotts are typically short lived, Liaukonyte said, and in the case of Goya had backfired, as sales had increased from first-time buyers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In popular culture

Goya Foods logo and imagery has been featured in artwork, including paintings, prints and sculptures, most notably by Cuban-American artist Ric Garcia,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> sculptor Alexander Mijares,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> painter John Kilduff,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and others.Template:Cn

See also

• La Costeña (food company)

External links

• Goya Foods
• Goya Foods, Collection 1960–2000