There's something curious, a special atmosphere that develops at family meals when you work at a company like Ibéricos Torreón: you start talking about the menu and inevitably end up reviewing, for example, the latest batch of hams in the drying room.
That happens to my sister Marta and me all the time.
But there's always someone at the table—usually our mother, Chus, General Manager of Ibéricos Torreón—who reminds us with a smile that now is "not the time to talk about work"... even though she's the first one who ultimately can't avoid it.
I'm Carlos Blázquez, Business Development Director at Ibéricos Torreón , and this is how a family business works: the lines between the personal and the professional blur, but when there's love, commitment, and respect, that's not a problem... it's the greatest driving force.
And if you ask me who makes all this work, both inside and outside the company, the answer is easy: our mother, Chus. She is the soul of Torreón, the one who has managed to combine the roles of mother, boss, guide, and link between all of us who make up this family... and this family business; and, of course, we can't forget the total and essential collaboration of her sister Laura, our aunt, and Export Director of Torreón.
Since we were children, my sister, Marta Blázquez, Production Director at Ibéricos Torreón, and I have experienced Torreón as more than just a workplace. We grew up surrounded by hams, cured meats, salted meats, and family gatherings where we always tried not to talk about Iberian products... although, honestly, we never managed.
There's always some unfinished business that sneaks in between dessert and coffee. That's what happens in a family business: everything is connected , and luckily Chus has made sure those connections are strong, healthy, and purposeful.
Marta and I are the third generation to run Torreón. Marta is the one who ensures that every product that leaves our facilities lives up to what we promise our customers. I handle business development, sales, purchasing, administration—everything that keeps the wheels turning. But the true center of gravity, the balance between the two of us, is our mother, Chus.
She ensures that every piece of the company fits together; that Marta and I don't forget why we do this, or how our grandfather Gene did it, who planted the seed for what Torreón is today. From him, we inherited the love of doing things with care, time, respect, and purpose. From her, the ability to sustain all of this and coordinate it so it runs like clockwork. Both of them shape our roadmap, both professionally and personally.
Chus isn't just our mother. She's also our boss. And that, far from complicating matters, makes it special. Because having her at the helm means having a clear direction, both inside and outside of work. She's the example we follow every day. She teaches us without raising her voice, she organizes without imposing, and she makes us feel part of something bigger than ourselves: a history, a tradition, a family that works together.
We're celebrating Mother's Day soon , and we wanted to pay a small tribute to this woman who has known how to be a boss while also being a mother, and who has made Torreón what it is today. Because thanks to her leadership style—with a sense of purpose, but also with soul—Ibéricos Torreón remains what it has always been: a family business built with pride and love.
