It is with great excitement and honor that Diaz Foods announces the acquisition of La Cena Fine Foods Ltd. Founded and operated by the Puig family since 1963.
Jorge Antona is a very busy man. He is president of Diaz Produce and he loves his job.
“I don’t think you do what I do without loving it, takes a lot of hours, making sure the trucks get there and get to you,” he said. “It is an around-the-clock kind of job.”
The hard work is paying off. “We have done fairly well the last two years and we’ve grown tremendously,” he continued. “We saw 20 percent growth in 2013, and are on the same path for 2014.”
Diaz Foods may be a family owned business, but the company does not operate like one – especially the ones where family members rely on nepotism for their jobs, President Rene Diaz says. “In a family business, you get your job because of your relationship with the family,” he says. “You get your job based on your capabilities at Diaz Foods.”
Based in Atlanta, the company delivers dry, refrigerated and frozen products to more than 3,500 clients in 26 states. Diaz’s grandfather, Domingo Diaz, started the company in 1969 with a single grocery store. He later opened several more locations with the help of Rene Diaz’s father, uncle and aunt.
When Fidel Castro seized his cattle ranches in 1966, Domingo Diaz fled to Atlanta, where he scraped together a living mopping floors as a janitor. Eventually he saved enough to buy a grocery store downtown, where he and his son, Julio, sold Cuban specialties.
President Vicente Fox, who served as Mexico's President from 2000-2006, has joined Diaz Foods' Board of Directors. President Fox was sought by Diaz for his corporate experience and insight into marketing and democracy.
Rene Diaz, the indefatigable restaurant and grocer supplier who has parlayed Latin American products into big business in Atlanta, is ready to try his hand at being a restaurateur in his own right.
Diaz Foods has adapted its business strategy during the past 25 years as Atlanta's Hispanic population has evolved. By understanding the different buying habits within the Latino market and forging relationships with restaurant and store owners as they've launched ventures in other states, the company has grown into one of the nation's largest distributors of Hispanic food.