Homogeneity is the Key to Iberian Pork Excellence

The Gourmet Corporation strives to include only the best products in its catalogue, which is why we are honoured to feature The Iberico Pork Excellence provided by Aljomar. Aljomar is one of the leading producers in the Iberico pork sector and an award-winning company with more than 2 decades of experience. A true testament to a family that has reaped the benefits of their labour over the years. 

Aljomar is a long-running family business. It all started in 1969 when Alfonso Sanchez, along with his wife Carmen, opened up his first-ever Iberico store in Sevilla. The success and recognition they gained with that little establishment would pave the way for the grandness to come. In 1992 they officially founded their own manufacturing plant for cured Iberico products, Aljomar, named after their children Alfonso, Jose Luis and Maria del Carmen. It is located in Guijuelo, Salamanca, a province in Western Spain. Here, after the pig is cut into pieces, the process of curation begins by submerging the pork hams and shoulders in sea salt. For how long? It will depend on the individual weight of each piece. Then, after being rinsed of excess surface salt, they are stored in rooms with controlled low temperatures and high humidity. After they’ve spent their times in these rooms they will be moved to the top floor where the drying and maturation occurs through natural ventilation, opening and closing the windows to let in the cool air the blows over from the nearby Sierra de Francia and Sierra de Béjar.

In 1997, with quality control in mind, Aljomar decided to form part of the process from the very first stage, opening its own livestock farmland, Vera Vieja, in Extremadura. They also have a factory to produce their own natural animal feed, exerting even more control in the processes their pigs go through. In this farmland or “dehesa”, during the 60-90 day period of montanera free-range acorn foraging, the Iberico pig eats a daily amount of 6-10 kilos of acorns they find on the floor and pasture. The richness of these natural resources, plus the exercise the pig gets during the dehesa period, provide the intense flavour and texture of its meat.

Finally, in 2008, they come full circle in regards to the food chain and production processes by becoming a partner in Spain’s most modern slaughterhouse, and one of Europe’s leading meat facilities, El Navazo. The slaughterhouse is 64.000m2, with a capacity for 5.000 pigs daily and approved for export to the main markets of the world.

Counting with a controlled production cycle, where it is possible to closely follow the entire process, from breeding (Vera Vieja), to slaughter (El Navazo Slaughterhouse) and the production and distribution of the final product (Aljomar Factory), facilitates control and positively reflects on the quality offered to the consumer of Iberian hams, Iberian sausages and fresh Iberian meats Aljomar. Now The Gourmet Corporation is tasked with adding to their global expansion and introduce the Iberico pork and its derived products to those who have yet to try its unique flavour.