Beher (company) facts for kids

BEHER (also known as Bernardo Hernández) is a famous Spanish company that makes delicious ham. It is located in a town called Guijuelo in Spain. This area is special because it has a "Protected Designation of Origin" (PDO) for Jamón de Guijuelo, which means the ham from here is very unique and high quality.

BEHER is a family business that started in the 1930s. Today, it is one of the largest companies in its region, Castile and León. BEHER has won many awards. For example, in 2001 and 2004, it was named "Best international company" at a big meat fair in Frankfurt, Germany. One of their most famous products, "Bellota Oro" (which means Gold Acorn), was even called the "Best ham in the world" in 2007, 2010, and 2013!

History of BEHER

BEHER's main building in Guijuelo.

A cellar where BEHER's Acorn-fed hams are stored in Guijuelo.

The story of BEHER began in the early 1930s. A man named Bernardo Hernández Blázquez started the business. He used his family's knowledge to get involved in making pork products.

Later, in the 1970s, Bernardo's son, Bernardo Hernández García, took over the company. He started raising Iberian pigs on his own farms. This helped the company control the quality of their products even more.

Today, Bernardo García's sons run the company. BEHER is now one of the top six companies in its field. They sell their products all over the world, to more than 30 countries. Some of these countries include Australia, Brazil, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Russia, and many countries in the European Union.

In 2010, BEHER opened new, bigger facilities. Their factory is now very large, covering 19,500 square meters. It even has the tallest cellar (a special storage room) in the Protected Designation of Origin area, which is 8 meters high!

BEHER Products

A display of BEHER's "embutidos" (sausage goods) and acorn-fed ham with the PDO Jamón de Guijuelo.

BEHER handles every step of making their products. This includes raising the pigs on their own farms and even the careful, manual cutting of the ham. This way, they can make sure all their products are consistently high quality. They are known worldwide for their sausage products, cold meats, and collations (snacks).

Some of their main products are:

• Acorn-fed Jamón ibérico (Iberian ham). This ham comes from pigs that eat mostly acorns.
• Acorn-fed Iberian sausage products. These include:
  • loin (lomo)
  • pork sausage (chorizo)
  • salami (longaniza)
  • bacon (panceta)
  • summer sausage (salchichón)

Product Lines

BEHER offers different lines of their famous hams:

• Etiqueta Oro (Gold Label): This is their top-quality Acorn-fed back-leg and front-leg Jamón ibérico ham. It's chosen for being very rich in oleic acid, which is a healthy fat.
• Etiqueta Negra (Black Label): This is another type of acorn-fed ham.
• Red Label (Etiqueta Roja): This line also includes acorn-fed back-leg and front-leg Jamón ibérico ham.
• Rashers: These are slices of ham that are expertly cut by a master. The current person who cuts these hams, Anselmo Pérez, is the champion of ham cutting in Spain.

Awards and Recognitions

BEHER "Bellota Oro" was chosen as "Best ham in the world" at IFFA Delicat in 2007, 2010, and 2013.

BEHER has received many awards from around the world:

• International Fair of Frankfurt - IFFA Delicat (Germany): This is a very important international meat fair.
  • 1995: BEHER won 5 gold medals.
  • 2001: They won 10 gold medals and an award for "Best foreign company".
  • 2004: They received 13 gold medals and were again named "Best foreign company".
  • 2007: They won a Grand Special prize for ham, 14 gold medals, and an award for their sausage products.
  • 2010: They got a Special prize for ham and 16 gold medals.
  • 2013: They won another Special prize for ham and 22 gold medals.
  • 2016: They received an Award of Honour for being the Best Company, a Special International Award for the Highest Quality Product in the Ham category, and 22 gold medals.

• Food & Drink Expo (Birmingham, United Kingdom):
  • 2006: They won the prize for best international product.

• SUFFA (Stuttgart, Germany):
  • 2006: They won 3 gold medals.

• Great Taste (Great Britain):
  • 2006: They received a bronze medal.

• Salón Nacional del Jamón SANJA (National Ham Exhibition), Teruel (Spain):
  • 2001: They won a national award for ham quality.

• I Feria del Jamón de Castilla y León (First Ham Fair of Castile and León), Segovia (Spain):
  • 2013: They won the prize for the best "Jamón de bellota" (acorn's ham).

See also

In Spanish: BEHER para niños