There are those success stories that come along once in a while that send chills down our spine and create a lump of happiness in the throat. The story of how Cacique Inc., the largest fresh cheese maker in the country came to be, is one of them.
Nestled in La Puente, California, a city about 20 minutes from Downtown Los Angeles, is Cacique’s headquarters. But the story does not begin there. Four decades ago, Gibert de Cardenas arrived in the United States with his wife, three small children and a fourth one on the way. Chasing the American dream, Gilbert worked extremely hard for his family to make ends meet. After a series of events, he saw the opportunity to create fresh cheese, a product nonexistent in the Los Angeles marketplace.
A couple of years later, de Cardenas took his hard-earned savings of $1,500 and took a huge leap of faith. Cacique was born. In Latin America, the name “Cacique” means the ultimate authority or the chief of the tribe. The perfect name for what was to become the best product in that category many years later.
The first few years were tough. With the rest of the de Cardenas family’s help, Gilbert sold and delivered his precious product to loyal customers personally. He eventually hired the first Cacique employees and the company began to take shape. Following their parent’s principles, Gilbert Jr., Ana, Maria and Antonio de Cardenas, have committed to the authenticity and tradition of the product and have applied a state-of-the-art cheese making facility to the old-world technique and drive their parents passionately began with.
Cacique has expanded their selection of Hispanic cheese with separate categories of high quality cream, chorizo and yogurt products readily available throughout the country.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to learn about the origins of the product, the company’s guiding pillars and get to know the Cacique family at a taste testing and tour of their facilities.
Gilbert de Cardenas discusses Cacique’s History as Ana de Cardenas-Raptis and Diana de Loza, Cream and Yogurt Brand Manager look on.
Top row, left to right: Valerie of Mama Likes to Cook, Dorothy of Shockingly Delicious, Art of Latino Foodie, and Gerry of Foodness Gracious. Bottom row, left to right: Jeanne of The Jolly Tomato, Caryn of Rockin’ Mama, Nicole of Presley’s Pantry, me and Valentina from Cooking on the Weekends
Because each product has a very different flavor profile, everyone has a particular favorite. You can see the product description below which includes a section on serving suggestions. To find Cacique products near you, visit their store locator and for their latest news, follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For recipe ideas and inspiration visit their website and their #GoAutentico Blog.
Cacique Product Descriptions by Ericka Sanchez
This is a sponsored collaboration with Cacique and Society Culinaria. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible.
