Goya Meals CEO Robert Unanue explains how the pandemic and decades-high inflation has ‘killed’ enterprise homeowners’ spirits.
After carrying his spiritual and political opinions on his sleeve, Goya CEO Robert Unanue mirrored on the cancel-culture controversy he and the corporate as soon as discovered themselves in – and the teachings he’s realized since.
“You make plans and God laughs,” Unanue mentioned on “Cavuto: Coast to Coast” Wednesday.
“However what unites the Latino neighborhood are the values of God, household and work,” the CEO continued. “And so by invoking God, it did not flip off the Latino neighborhood, which is our important client – though that has grown – however it did upset a number of the individuals who would reasonably hate and destroy [and] divide, which is occurring to our nation.”
In July of 2020, Unanue visited the Trump White Home for the Hispanic Prosperity Initiative. Throughout a speech on the occasion, Unanue publicly praised the president and expressed his blessings for Trump, calling him “a builder.”
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“We needed to make a present to the nation, via the chief government, of a few million kilos of meals that was 4.5 million kilos,” Unanue defined to FOX Enterprise host Neil Cavuto. “So we went to the White Home. The Holy Spirit put the phrase ‘blessed’ on my lips.”
Robert Unanue, president and CEO of Goya Meals, mentioned the values of “God, household and work” deliver the Latino neighborhood collectively on “Cavuto: Coast to Coast” Wednesday, July 12, 2023. (Getty Photographs)
Criticism erupted from liberal figures, who largely referred to as for a boycott of Goya merchandise and claimed that Unanue’s help for Trump was offensive to the Latino neighborhood.
Rep. Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., for instance, tweeted out her disapproval, saying she would discover options to one among Goya’s signature seasonings.
Even famend Chef José Andres chimed in on social media, accusing Trump of leaving Latinos and plenty of People hungry and neglecting Hispanics amid the pandemic.
“We had been attacked by invoking God, and I did not have any management over what would occur to me and the corporate,” Unanue mirrored. “It was God despatched.”
However a boycott reworked right into a “buycott,” as Goya really noticed gross sales surge to “implausible” and “historic” ranges following the 2020 controversy, in response to the CEO.
Bob Unanue on Trump, Goya gross sales
“And thank God,” he mentioned, “as a result of this COVID factor simply actually killed our spirit. It put companies out of labor, eating places, and it was a conflict towards the working class.”
The blessing in disguise reminded Unanue of the facility that meals has to deliver folks collectively.
“We have to love our neighbor as ourselves. We have to unite, love, divide, unite and construct,” Unanue mentioned, “and I used to be mentioning that to the president.”
Whereas he didn’t make clear which GOP candidate he’ll be backing within the 2024 election, Unanue identified that Republicans have a singular alternative to draw middle-ground Latino voters.
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“There’s a number of Latinos who really feel the Democrat Get together has deserted them of their values. And the values are the issues which are going to hold this election. And we have to get again to these values, or we’re executed,” the CEO mentioned.
“There’s 30% of Latinos that really feel that Democrats communicate to them, 11% the Republican [Party], however there’s 37% that really feel no person does,” he added. “If the Republicans can persuade 37% [of] Latinos, that they share the identical values, then that may be executed.”
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FOX Enterprise’ Sumner Park contributed to this report.
