Joseph A. Unanue

Joseph Unanue would achieve success as the president of the family business Goya foods. The company would eventually become the largest Hispanic owned company in America as well as one of the largest food distributors in the world. They would achieve this by being one of the first companies to sell products that were aimed at a Hispanic market. As the number of Hispanic immigrants grew so did their company. This foresight allowed them to create a very successful company that now operates around the world.

Joseph Uanue was born in New York City, the second of four children in a family that had moved from Puerto Rico. Unanue graduated from high school in the middle of World War Two and was promptly drafted. He was sent to France where he saw action during the Battle of the Bulge. During the battle his platoon sergeant was killed and Uanue was named to replace him, at the age of nineteen he was the youngest sergeant in the theater. He would later be awarded the Bronze Star for his actions during the battle.

Joseph Uanue's father had started a business making Hispanic foods after he had realized there was a market for them. All of his sons would work in the family business when they were children including Joseph. After the war Joseph would get a degree in mechanical engineering from the Catholic University of America. He would then go to work in the family business full time. When he first got there the business was still quite small, the large grocery chains so no reason to carry foods aimed at the Hispanic market so they were limited to selling through small local stores. However as the number of Hispanic immigrants grew Safeway decided to start carrying their products at their Harlem stores. Soon all of the major grocery chains were carrying all of their products.

Eventually Joseph Unanue would be named as the president of the family company. It was during his reign that they saw their greatest growth. Eventually they would become the largest Hispanic owned company in the United States. They also expanded to become a multinational company with operations in a number of different countries. This makes them one of the largest food distributors in the world. Despite this Joseph would eventually be ousted from the company by his two nephews.

Joseph Unanue's wife is a well known art collector and the couple owns a number of valuable works of art. They also support a number of art organizations, particularly for Hispanic artists. This is just a small part of their philanthropic activities; they also support a number of educational charities. As a result of his work Unanue has received several honorary doctorates as well as a number of other awards, among them being knighted by the Order of Malta and receiving the key to the city of Boston.