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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 artisan sausages and or cured meat products. Then 'charcuterie' is made in the company’s U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved 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. As U.S. restrictions on the importation of meats have softened, the company has been selling Redondo Iglesias Jamón Serrano, Fermin Jamón Iberico and 5J Jamón Iberico de Bellota. The famed Black Hoofed Pig.

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, 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 Miami, Seattle, San Antonio, San Francisco, New York, and Puerto Rico.

The Faraones’ two daughters, Mari Carmen and Bianca, plan to lead the company for years to come and expand its operations even more. Adding new selections of products to their existing line of products and satisfying consumers and enhance business and strengthen the company’s position in the cross-Atlantic trade. But most of all, they desire to continue following the founders’ mission of committing and upholding the food culture and heritage of Spain and of opening the U.S. market to the wonderful world of Spanish cuisine.