Our story
Quijote Foods has been synonymous with authentic Spanish-style chorizo in the US for more than four decades. Quijote’s history dates back to 1983, when brothers Juan and Jesús Elejabarrieta, together with Juan Antonio Oregui, Fermín Sobrón and Miguel Piedra, founded the seed of what would become Quijote Foods.
A brand
with Basque origins
Like so many other Basque sportsmen, the Elejabarrieta brothers and Juan Antonio Oregui settled in Miami in the early 1980s with the aim of making a name for themselves in the then booming world of Jai Alai.
The founders of Quijote Food would bring with them from their native Basque Country -an autonomous community located in northern Spain - the deep-rooted Basque tradition of making chorizo at home, which is very typical of the farmhouses in this region. What started out as short production runs for own consumption would soon evolve into selling chorizo to the public on match days.
Towards
consolidation
In 1986, after retiring from professional sports, Quijote's founding partners formalized the business of selling Spanish-style chorizo under the name of Elore Enterprises LLC. . From there, the growth of the brand would be progressive and exponential.
The Quijote brand would gradually expand its initial range of homestyle chorizos to include chorizo versions such as traditional Cantimpalo chorizos or fresh BBQ chorizos, becoming over the years one of the main suppliers of Spanish-style chorizo to leading food and gastronomic companies in Florida.
Opening up borders
Between 2006 and 2016 Elore Enterprises LLC. would be the distributor of the Spanish brand of chorizo Palacios in the US. Palacios would be the first Spanish brand of meat products authorized to sell this product in North America. In 2008 Quijote would inaugurate a new production plant in Miami Gardens, where the company currently has its production and distribution center, meeting the highest standards set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
After the integration of Elore Enterprises LLC into the Palacios Group in 2016, it became the Group’s headquarters in the US and boosted the development of its business in North America and the Caribbean.
In 2022 Elore Enterprises obtained the SQF (Safe Quality Food) certificate, a new sign of the company's commitment to food safety and the quality of its products.
40 years being true to our roots
Today, forty years after its foundation, Quijote continues its growth process without losing any of its identity or its family vocation. Our own way of understanding this business is what has made us what we are. After four decades of continuous activity, at Quijote we’re especially proud to continue counting on many of the employees who have accompanied us in this adventure from the beginning.
We can safely say that Quijote is a large family of professionals focused on preserving the tradition of quality Spanish chorizo, but with a marked spirit of constant adaptation to the ever-changing environment.