Picture this: it's 1868 and you find yourself living in the mountainous region of Guijuelo, Spain. As the distinct cold, dry breeze permeates through your clothes it is clear you must dedicate your life to delivering the highest quality Iberico pork products. This would be Vincente Gomez whose obsession with Iberico pork has grown into a 6th generation production. Joselito has been labeled the "patriarch" and "emperor" of Iberico ham. One going as far to call it the "Dom Pérignon of Iberian ham"...
As you can tell, this is a massive reputation to live up to. The more we heard and saw, the more it made sense. Jose Gomez, 6th generation, currently oversees all operations and walked us through the Joselito difference. Let's start with the pigs. "Free range" isn't some marketing loophole - each pig gets about three hectares (over seven acres) to roam. They spend their lives walking, foraging, and building up that perfect balance of fat and muscle. The compound is in Guijuelo, as I mentioned, a small town a few hours outside Madrid, where the cold, dry winds provide a natural air-conditioning for curing ham. The facilities felt more like a surgeon scrubbing into the operating room than touring a food facility. Hands sanitized, hairnets, booties, and the signature red/white stripe jacket - I took this home with me, thanks Jose.
As you walk into its doors your nostrils are greeted with the funk of curing ham legs. Essentially, it's a vault holding thousands of amber-ed pork hanging in the dark, quietly aging for years. Some hams age for three years, others for over seven. Joselito takes it one step further, stamping each ham with its vintage year, just like wine. That means you can taste the difference a season of weather or acorn harvest made.
No additives, no preservatives. Just pork, sea salt, and generations of patience. Even the cellar airflow is considered part of the recipe. The result? Joselito is on the menu at 90% of the world's two and three Michelin-starred restaurants. That level of quality doesn't come from hype—it's built on passion, detail, and a system that treats ham like fine wine.
