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Founded in 1982 in a small suburb of Los Angeles, La Española Meats, Inc., was founded by Juana Gimeno Faraone, a native of Valencia, Spain, and her husband, Frank Faraone, of Martinsferry, Ohio.

After the couple was married in Spain, they relocated to California to raise their family. Eventually, the couple’s entrepreneurial spirit and their love of Spain and Spanish culture prompted them to purchase a small plant and reform it into a thriving enterprise which has won the respect of the gourmet food industry.

Today, La Española is not only an importer, distributor, retailer, and wholesaler of fine Spanish foods, but it is also a manufacturer of premium Spanish-style sausages and cured meat products. The charcuterie is made in the company’s U.S. Department of Agriculture inspected plant with the same fine ingredients and cherished recipes that are used by the best producers in Spain. Personal attention and utmost care are lavished upon each lot of chorizo. For an aficionado of Spain’s cured meats, chorizo Bilbao, Butifarra Catalana, chorizo Pamplona, chorizo Cantimpalo, chorizo Soria, Salchichón de Vic, Sobrasada Mallorquina, Morcillas de Arroz, Morcillas de Cebolla, jamón Serrano, Lomo Embuchado, and much more can all be found at La Española Meats. In addition to its own line of charcuterie, La Española Meats also proudly features the best Jamón Serrano from Spain from Redondo Iglesias. Available now in the U.S., the famous Iberian Ham from FERMIN.

La Española also occupies a special place in the world of food importing. As one of the pioneer marketers of Spanish products in the U.S., and the sole distributor of many of them, La Española’s position in this area of Spanish-American commerce has been growing. Olive oil, olives, rice, cheeses, canned fish, canned foods, saffron, spices, turron, cookies, candy, chocolates, tea, coffee, wines and paella pans are just a few of the specialty food imports that La Española is actively marketing in the U.S. La Española’s products are purchased by a wide variety of retail and wholesale clients. La Española boasts of clients in all fifty United States, as well as Puerto Rico, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Philippines. Included among their clients are many four-star restaurants, specialty food delis and markets, and various hotels. The company has distributors in California, Colorado, Florida, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, and Puerto Rico.

The Faraones’ two daughters, Mari Carmen and Bianca, plan to lead the company into the next century and expand its operations even more. They hope to add more items for import and strengthen the company’s position in the cross-Atlantic trade. But most of all, they desire to continue following the founders’ mission of opening the U.S. market to the wonderful world of Spanish cuisine.