Premiados

Curriculum Vitae

President of Cascajares. Agri-food sector. Alfonso Jiménez Rodríguez-Vila began start at just 18 years old. He was the youngest of 10 siblings, all educated and children of an important state official. At first his family did not see him as brave. entrepreneur but as an unconscious madman. His business idea was very simple: raise and market capons, a bird with a lot of culinary tradition that in our country there was almost disappeared in recent decades. Soon, based on small and big failures, it was realized He realized that the future was to sell the birds already cooked and canned. He understood that had to provide added value to the product to sell it better and had to cover the needs of their customers, at that time chefs, who wanted a product that was easy to elaborate, comfortable, high quality at a good price.

Through effort, the company grew and, supported by its partner Francisco Iglesias, They managed to hire their first worker, a person with intellectual disabilities from the San Cebrián de Palencia Foundation. That, as Alfonso says, “was not charity but need". And it worked so well that since then Cascajares' commitment to socio-occupational insertion of people with disabilities is total. Proof of this is the important Social Work of the company, which for almost 25 years has held a charity auction of Capones to raise funds for various social works normally linked to that purpose. In 2003 they decided to be present at the most important banquet that was going to take place. make in the history of our country, the link between D. Felipe and Doña Letizia. And they got it. The Capón de Cascajares was the main dish of the banquet and that milestone marked a turning point. later in the history of the company. They stopped selling their products only to chefs and They entered the kitchens of the Spanish thanks to their Christmas roasts. They were pioneers in e-commerce back in 2004 and the company multiplied its turnover almost sixfold in two years. Always reinvesting to continue growing, in 2006 they built their elaboration in Dueñas (Palencia). In 2007 Alfonso opted for internationalization and set up a factory in Canada to be able to sell in the United States in the future. After three years of filming, thanks to the help of the Government of that country, in 2011 it was finally born Cascajares Canada. Today it is a consolidated and continuously growing company with a turnover of almost 8 million dollars and 25 workers. You have managed to diversify your business and Right now Cascajares has different lines of action: aerial catering, food organized, professional hospitality, production of white label products, etc… In addition, they have have once again recovered primary production, they have returned to the roots and will raise animals in a Salamanca farm to be able to supply its own raw materials.

And 30 years later, destiny has wanted Cascajares to be reborn. Last January 26 A fire completely devoured the Dueñas factory, only the façade remained. Many They thought it would be the end of the brand, but Alfonso Jiménez, once again, has converted the problems in opportunities and since the day of the fire he has been working to return soon as possible. A month later Cascajares is already manufacturing in a temporary workshop at the same time that they are about to begin work on the new factory that they are going to build adjacent to the one It burned. Fortunately there were no personal injuries and now the only objective is to return as sooner possible and stronger than ever. And as a good entrepreneur he will not stop until he achieves it... “There will come a time when you think it's all over. “That will be the beginning.”

Fallo del jurado

The jury of the Rei Jaume I Entrepreneur Prize has decided to award the prize in its edition 2023 to Alfonso Jiménez Rodríguez-Vila, president of Cascajares. The Jury highlights his tenacity and resilience in the development of your business project. With a tireless search for innovation within the food sector, it has known diversify your product catalog tailored to each client. Pioneer in the primary sector, with a high environmental awareness and based on the circular economy from production in bird breeding until distribution. With a high awareness in the recovery of the environment rural and the labor insertion of people with special needs.

 

 

 

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