Mr. Manuel Murga is the Chief Operations Officer at Acornseekers LLC. He has been involved for more than thirty years in the production of Ibericus Pig in Spain, and this is one of his biggest passions. This knowledge and the experience of working for different American, European and Japanese chemical companies, helped him to have contact with international markets.
From 1988 to 1997 he worked for Merck Sharp & Dome as Regional Manager in Spain, being involved in the plant health business. From 1997 to 2014 he held different positions related to Marketing Management in several companies: Novartis, Syngenta, Mitsui Co., Agro Kanesho and Agriphar. During the last seven years, he combined his professional work with the development of Acornseekers LLC. finaly in 2014 he started working full time for Acornseekers LLC.
ABOUT ACORNSEEKERS
As explained in Acornseekers’ web site:
“Jamón ibérico is one of Spain’s most beloved traditions. It embodies the most important parts of Spanish culture: fine craftsmanship, slow dining, and a rich history. The creation of this inimitable delicacy requires distinguished black-hoofed Iberian pigs, a temperate climate (usually the southwest Spanish countryside) and time. Plenty of time.
Inspired by the movement of fine European wine to Napa Valley, the Acornseekers decided to bring this culinary jewel to America. They found that the best American environment in which to raise the pigs was in South Texas, with its temperate climate, large oak trees and a copious amount of acorns. The journey to America with 200 pigs was not an easy one, but eventually they all touched down in New York City on a moonlit August night, and then endeavored on a twenty-eight hour drive to Texas. A year and a half later, the number of American-born Ibericus pigs has blossomed to over a thousand, and the first cuts of Acornseekers pork are making their way to a table near you.”
INTERVIEW
USEC had an opportunity to hold an exclusive interview with Manuel Murga, COO of Acornseekers, to obtain a better understanding of how this company was created and the challenges they have found.
1.- Your project is unique. How did the idea come about?
Thanks to my relationship with the Iberico market, I knew It is very difficult to export Iberian Pigs products from Spain to the US so we decided to produce them locally here in the US. To do that we faced a great challenge never done before, to ship by plane 150 Ibericus pigs from Europe to the US.
2.- Why USA? Why Texas? And… What were the main challenges overcome so far?
USA is one of the best markets in the world for any kind of product, specially talking about Hi- End products. Texas because it has the biggest live oak surface on the US, and maybe of the world. The acorns of these live oaks are key for our animals. They main challenge was to bring a whole plane (Boeing 747) full of Ibericus Pigs. We needed to comply with the USDA protocol in terms of animal health. That was a great challenge that nobody had overcome before.
3.- You have had to deal with different autonomous communities, different regulations, travel around Europe to find specialized suppliers in your sector (Holland, Ireland, …), to overcome the legal requirements for entry of live animals in the USA … What are your Main lessons learned from this international experience?
The main lesson learned from the challenge we faced is that If you believe in your project, you will make it happen. Honesty and passion are key to achieve the goal. That made it easier to find highly professional people ready to help us in our challenge. When you are trying to do something unique, they like to feel part of it. We are very thankful to all those people and companies that have helped us.
4.- In the fundraising process, with such a peculiar project and without previous experience in entrepreneurship, what have been the keys to your success? We considered more relevant to have a good feeling with the investors than the amount of money they could invest. That helped a lot to solve difficulties and issues. It is nice to have investors involved in the day by day evolution of the company. They are willing to be useful to the company.
5.- Finally, what are your recommendations for Spanish entrepreneurs who want to come and conquer the American market?
First of all, to believe in themselves and in the idea they handle. Second, be honest, clear and modest, even if their project is the best one in history. And finally, work hard and never give up.