In the supermarkets of the Condis and Esclat chains, you can now buy matured beef from the Pujol's brand. This company from Sallent (Bages), which until now only sold to establishments in the Horeca channel (hotels, restaurants and catering), has made the leap to the final consumer with the aim of becoming the "first reference brand in beef and matured ox”. The statement is from Ferran Pujol, founder of this company that belongs to the Eurostars family group, dedicated to the distribution of beverages.
Like its product, Pujol's is also a long-term project. "In 2008, at Euroestrellas we wanted to open a new line of business for frozen and fresh products and I was in charge of starting it up," explains Pujol, who is the son and nephew of the group's founders. It was thanks to this new activity that the entrepreneur discovered matured meat.
After traveling to the United States to see first-hand what he claims is the world's cradle of matured meat, Ferran Pujol carried out a first test at the family business's facilities in 2010. “In just 50 days and in a conventional fresh, we saw that the meat had gained a lot in flavor”, says the founder.
"We started selling to nearby restaurants and without making large investments, until, in 2014, we presented the product at the Alimentaria fair," recalls Pujol. The great reception made them see that Pujol's had potential and, in 2020, later than expected due to covid, they invested more than 400,000 euros in a workshop and a maturation chamber.
"With the pandemic we were left without clients due to the closure of restaurants and hotels and we were clear that we had to diversify our client portfolio and reach the final consumer directly," acknowledges the businessman. In 2022, a year they hope to end with a turnover of 2.5 million euros, they have met the goal of reaching the first supermarkets.
Pujol's employs nine people and is physically located in the same facilities as Euroestrellas.
