More than 125 years support the good work of Carrasco Ibéricos, a family business led by the 4th generation and still producing Guijuelo ham. They are focus on traceability, caring for their own breed and adapting to the new times of pandemic.
Much has happened since the Carrasco family founded their first ham business in 1895. The next step came in the fifties with the acquisition of a 800 hectares farm in Jerez de los Caballeros (Extremadura), where they raise their own livestock.
“We don’t just sell Iberian products, we are also farmers and breeders” emphasizes Alicia Marcos, Marketing Director of Carrasco Ibéricos. Their know-how has positioned the brand in the national market, especially in two áreas. On the one hand, in the Basque Country — they have participated for years in the prestigious Gastronomika — and Catalonia with a great charcuterie tradition.
• Talking about the Carrasco family, you are 4 generations of managers and working to respect the product. How do you work?
The company started as a ham company in 1895 and passed from generation to generation, until now. Our company has a peculiarity and it is that we have full traceability in the process. Usually the ham manufacturers are not farmers. We are because we have our own livestock, our own breed. We have a farm in Jerez de los Caballeros, the best pasture in Europe, where animals are fed. The traceability is total: from the breed selection, the breeding, the production and the drying process in Guijuelo.
• You are in international markets too. Which differences do you find between national buyers and those from abroad?
We are in more than 14 countries such as Mexico, Australia or China. Each country has a different perception of the product. In European countries, with a similar profile such as Italy — prosciutto- or Portugal, the consumption behavior is similar. Other countries, like China, are more complicated. We respect the regulations of each country and provide solutions and try to understand their gastronomic culture. For example, we make recipes with ham — in Asia it is not consumed alone — with different formats, for example cut with a knife in front of the machine.
• One of your characteristics compared to other brands is that you have your own livestock. How is the breeding process?
The pig is born and lives with the mother during the breastfeeding period, about 3 months. It is important to understand that pigs cannot only eat acorns in their lifetime. That is why our pigs live in the open air in the field where they eat natural cereal feed, another differentiating factor of our brand because we make it ourselves. We take care of the animal.
After a year, they enter the montanera, the time they eat acorn, which is from October to March. In this last stage, the pigs feed on acorns — which provide the intramuscular fat and from which it derives the flavor. The animals go from about 70kg to 180kg.
• How is your client?
I like to say that our clientes choose us because he or she knows about the product, about the ham. We have two well-established sales areas in Spain: the Basque Country, who are the best chefs and it is a very powerful gastronomic area and Catalonia, a traditional meat masters.
• What are the characteristics of the Carrasco ham?
Our ham has an intense cherry red color, more typical of Guijuelo type. It is a very smooth ham thanks to its fat. And it is good to know that fat in the ham world is healthy, always in moderation, because it is of vegetable origin provided by the acorn. An other characteristic is the low point of salt. It does not destroy the flavor of the ham and a slight sweet touch.
• As a Spanish ham brand, what are the challenges do you think will define the next 3–5 years in the sector?
In pandemic time, we need to be flexible, especially in terms of formats. There is an upward trend in slicing, more than the whole piece. It is more operational for the hospitality industry. Another challenge is the digitization. It is still a very traditional industry and we not only need to digitize at the brand level, but also in the processes and increase traceability. For example, it will be possible to read all the information of a product through a QR code. On the other hand, we need more people to understand the world of ham. We need experts on the Iberian world.
Here you can find the products of Carrasco Ibéricos
