About us
The Blázquez family history
Committed to our legacy
With utmost respect and profound “Admiración”, we fondly look back on the family legacy that Isidoro Blázquez and Teresa Martín began to forge in 1932, helped from an early age by their son Jacinto. For some, “the grandparents”, for the youngest, “the great-grandparents”, but for the entire Blázquez family, the genesis of a company that currently produces and distributes the finest ham and Iberian products all over the world.
At the heart of the province of Avila, in a small village named Crespos, is the origin of this fascinating story of a young couple who decided to take a risk and begin the production of hams made from Iberian pigs. In their favour were their perfectionism, their tenacious attention to detail, their commitment to quality and the guarantee of a product that could satisfy the most demanding palates.
Individual and corporate clients soon rewarded the couple’s perfectionist attention to detail coupled with tradition and an innovative spirit with gradually increasing orders. Blázquez hams began to be the object of desire in more and more parts of Spain.
Expansion of the company was steadfastly managed from a very early age by their son Jacinto, in charge of selecting the Iberian pigs from Extremadura, whose criterion is still the basis of the superlative genetic characteristics of our livestock.
His effort and vision not only laid the foundations of the vast structure of lands that connect the magnificent dehesa pastures where our pigs graze on acorns, but also of the national distribution network for our products.
His children followed in his footsteps fully aware that opening up new markets would require an investment plan, modernisation, a larger team, infrastructure and installations. A process that has allowed us to multiply our capacity, reach 47 countries and become one of the most recognised brands in hams, shoulders, cured and fresh Iberian pork.
Today, the fourth generation of the Blázquez family is beginning to join the company, walking down the same corridors of a family history they are proud of, and keen to take even further. Always maintaining the essence of what previous generations have handed down: devoting body and soul to the creation of “Admiración”.
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1932
Isidoro Blázquez and Teresa Martín establish the family business, devoted to producing Iberian hams, in Crespos.
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1945-1965
Scarcely 14 years old, their son Jacinto Blázquez begins to personally travel to Extremadura to buy the best livestock. These trips subsequently serve to acquire the dehesas of the company.
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1980
The facilities of the Crespos factory are expanded with a new slaughterhouse and a cutting room, fully modernized and in line with the new regulations derived from the entry of Spain into the European Economic Community. All of this not only improves quality and supervision controls but also allows higher production capacity.
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1985
Installations of the Crespos factory expanded with a new slaughterhouse and cutting room equipped with innovative quality controls and supervision that also allows increased production.
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1994
High demand prompts the company to acquire a second factory in Guijuelo for curing and storage of products. Exponential growth of the Blázquez brand.
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2004-2007
Second factory in Guijuelo is opened, which includes the latest technology to accommodate continuous growth resulting from over 30 years of good management and Blázquez's hallmark quality standards.
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2010
The company continues to grow and adapt to the expansion process. The new Peñaranda factory is acquired, allowing us to multiply production of all our lines.
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The time has come to tackle the process of internationalising the company, with a modernised corporate identity, quality guaranteed by strict controls and certification of raw materials, production process and installations. In barely five years, thousands of clients in 47 markets enjoy the experience of our “Admiración” line of products.
Installations & Innovation
Commitment to quality throughout the process
If our Iberian pigs are the essence of our products, and the craftsmanship of our business transmitted from generation to generation is the inspiration that shapes it, our installations and method are the backbone holding the structure together. That is why at Blázquez, we are constantly investing to situate ourselves in the vanguard of an industry where quality depends on supervision of each phase of the process.
OUR DEHESA PASTURES AND INFRASTRUCTURE EXTEND FROM THE NORTH TO THE SOUTH OF SPAIN, AND PASS THROUGH SALAMANCA, AVILA, EXTREMADURA AND ANDALUSIA.
Dehesas de montanera
Feeding
More than 30,000 hectares of dehesa pastures spread over Andalusia, Extremadura and Salamanca. Exceptional areas where our Iberian pigs mature free-range and feed on the best acorns in season. Here, the animals roam at will, and later become the origin of the hams, cured and fresh meats most sought-after by gourmets the world over.
Crespos
Cutting, Curing
The starting point of the Blázquez ham story, today it has modern installations exclusively for a cutting room and for curing hams and shoulders. It preserves the romanticism and vitality of Isidoro and Teresa, our founders.
Peñaranda de Bracamonte
Cutting, Salting, Curing
Designed as an integrated centre to control the entire process of preparation of hams and shoulders, with different rooms for cutting, salting and several for curing, which are also adapted for production of our cured meats.
Guijuelo I
Salting, Curing Storage, Distribution
Our impressive installations at Guijuelo, a town with an international reputation among lovers of Iberian ham, allow us to control all phases of the curing, storage and shipping of our “Admiración” line of products under one roof.
Guijuelo II
Curing, Storage
These facilities are home to curing sausage and processing fresh meat, two of Blázquez’s “Admiración” product lines. It was conceived as an innovative logistics centre devoted to storage and international distribution.
Salamanca
Central Offices, Export Administration, Marketing
Our central offices are in the historical town centre of Salamanca by its Plaza Mayor square. A completely renovated building to house the control centre that sends “Admiración” products all over the world.
