The town of Retamal de Llerena, located in the east of the province of Badajoz, had just over 2,000 inhabitants in 1950. With the migration to the cities during the second half of the last century, the town lost up to 70 percent of its population… And at the same time, as in the rest of rural Spain, the aging of the population has resulted in a negative population balance for years, and children are conspicuously absent from this municipality.
So, today (with just over 400 inhabitants), the scarcity of births in the village is of great importance… And, aware of this situation, the Aljomar workers in the area came up with a brilliant initiative to do their bit: that all children born in Retamal de Llerena arrive with an Aljomar Iberian ham under their arm.
Every new inhabitant born in Retamal de Llerena truly matters!
Yes, it's not a mistake to invoke the traditional saying that associates the arrival of newborns with abundance and joy. In Retamal de la Llerena, each newborn receives nothing less than an Iberian ham from pigs raised in the area at the Vera Vieja farm, owned by Grupo Aljomar.
The idea for this generous initiative comes from Juan Santos, manager of the Vera Vieja farm, who has been concerned for years with encouraging people to settle in Retamal, by any means necessary, and who is very clear that a higher birth rate is the natural solution to this problem. "There are so few of us in Retamal that every time a child is born it's a great joy," says the enthusiastic promoter of this delicious initiative.
“Thinking about what we could do to help the municipality, the idea came to us. We talked to the mayor, who thought it was great, and here we are,” he says proudly.
Izan and Eduardo, two children born on December 3rd and 25th, have been the last two babies to receive this peculiar gift from the Aljomar Family, who are willing to treat all the new neighbors born this year with an exquisite Iberian Ham.
Jamones Aljomar wants to do its part to contribute to the revitalization of the town. The company feels a strong connection to and gratitude for Retamal de Llerena, as it is the town where its own Iberian pigs are raised and fed, the starting point of the Controlled Production Cycle and Processing of Aljomar Iberian Hams and Cured Meats, the pride of the Aljomar Group and the cornerstone of its commercial consolidation.
The livestock farm located on the Vera Vieja estate includes its own natural feed mill and, therefore, supplies the group with all the raw materials it needs, thus reinforcing its production capacity. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, the work carried out at Vera Vieja allows for high quality guarantees regarding the consistency of the final product manufactured at the Guijuelo factory. The Aljomar Group has implemented strict control systems at all stages of production, including full compliance with health and traceability requirements. This is largely due to the effort and high level of professionalism of all its employees, many of whom are residents of Retamal de Llerena and nearby towns.
