Joseph A. Unanue - Goya Foods

Goya Foods

In 1946, after Unanue returned home, he enrolled in The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He joined the family business, together with his brothers Tony and Frank Unanue. He learned every facet of the food industry. At first, the major supermarkets, such as A&P and Safeways weren't interested in selling anything with the Hispanic demography in mind. Eventually, with the wave of Hispanic immigrants landing in the United States, the supermarket industry started to take notice. Goya Foods started to supply Safeway's Supermarket in Harlem and the rest soon followed.

In 1956, Unanue married Carmen Ana Casal de Unanue, a Puerto Rican art collector and philanthropist with whom he had six children and 16 grandchildren.

In 1976, Unanue was named president of the company, whose principal base of operations was by then in New Jersey. His brother Frank ran Goya de Puerto Rico, Inc., located in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Under Joseph's leadership, the company became the largest Hispanic–owned food distributor in the United States, with sales of over $800 million a year and with over 2,000 employees. It has facilities in Puerto Rico, Spain, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Italy. The company also has facilities in the United States in the cities of Chicago, Miami, Tampa, and Houston.

Goya Foods supports many organizations, among them the "Puerto Rican Traveling Theater", "Repertorio Español", "Ballet Hispanico", and the "Puerto Rican Day Parade". It also supports "The New Jersey Council for the Arts", "El Museo del Barrio", and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In 1985, Unanue's son Joseph F. Unanue was named Vice President of Operations, a position he held until 1998 when he died of cancer. His younger son, Andy Unanue, was named to replace Joseph, Jr.