Jamones González, with 14 employees and an annual turnover of 2 million euros, celebrates 100 years of selling products that are representative of our culinary culture, such as hams and sausages, always seeking the highest quality and differentiation possible.

Carmen González, the manager of this small family business, says that the key to its success has been to remain faithful to the original project launched by her ancestors, based on a strong commitment to a quality product with Galician origins and an excellent team that has helped it to consolidate from the outset. Carmen's generation represents the third generation of the company, strongly influenced by the values inherent to the family business, "it is interesting that the new generations understand and appreciate these values, the history, the traditions, the family..." she explains, "all this implies sacrifice, generosity, honesty, respect, and social responsibility."

Amongst the wide range of products on offer, we find a conventional and organic line of pork products, the raw material for the former coming from Duroc pigs and for the latter from organic Duroc and organic Celtic pigs. Its main products are cured and boneless ham, followed by sausages, and finally cured meats, including the production of Galician Lacón (cured ham from the shoulders or front legs of the pig), which has the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) designation. The lean meat characteristic of the Duroc breed, together with its high fat content, makes it ideal for the production of cured meats such as ham and lacón, as well as chorizo or Iberian spicy sausage, due to its excellent flavour.

Traceability is a key factor for the company, which has its own Duroc pig farm, allowing it to control the raw material used in the production of its products and ensure 100% final quality. "Raising our own pigs guarantees us a raw material that has all the necessary characteristics to obtain the desired organoleptic properties."

They use a traditional curing method that has been handed down from generation to generation, starting with salting, followed by washing and settling of the pieces, then the actual curing process begins until they reach the storage area, and finally the necessary curing period in the cellar. Jamones González's facilities are equipped with the latest technology and a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system that guarantees safety and complies with the strictest sanitary, hygiene and disinfection controls. This synthesis of tradition and modernity, quality and innovation throughout the production process is the key to achieving a product of unmistakable flavour and quality.

First steps abroad with Galicia Avanza

Although its main markets are Galicia and the north of Spain, some of Jamones González's delicacies are also sold abroad. Their participation in the Galicia Avanza Programme helped them to take their first steps in the international market, "the information and help they gave us enabled us to start the necessary procedures to sell abroad, knowing all the aspects we had to take into account and also following up," the manager points out.

The Galicia Avanza programme, promoted by the Regional Government of Galicia through the Galician Innovation Agency (Gain) and the Galician Institute for Economic Promotion (Igape), aims to facilitate the access of Galician SMEs to the international market based on R&D&I and sustainability.

It is an eight-month accelerator programme with tailor-made itineraries in areas such as market research, marketing strategy, product and service adaptation, design and registration of brands and certifications, and market access strategy. Participating companies also have access to mentoring and advice, business and technical training and coaching, as well as a final event to give them visibility.