Rovira Biscuits Corporation

Last updated

Rovira Biscuits Corporation
Type Private
Industry Food
Founded1929
FounderJosé María Rovira Viza
Headquarters
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Number of locations
 Ponce (2), Guaynabo (1)
Area served
 Puerto Rico, United States, Caribbean
Key people
Rafael Luis Rovira, CEO [1]
Frances Rovira, [2] vice president Export Sales
Carlos Juan Rovira, [3] President [4]
José Antonio Rovira, [5] board member
Products Crackers
Revenue$10 Million + [6]
Number of employees
50 [7]
Parent Rovira Foods, Inc.
Divisions 6 [8]
Website Rovira Biscuits Corporation

Rovira Biscuits Corporation is a Puerto Rican corporation that manufactures crackers branded by the same name. The company is well known for its production of "export sodas" crackers. [9] The company's headquarters are located in Urbanizacion La Ceiba, barrio San Anton, in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, and its main production facilities are located on PR-10 southbound, in barrio Sabanetas, just south of the intersection with PR-52 exit in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Contents

History

Main entrance to the new facilities of Rovira Biscuits Corporation in Barrio Sabanetas, Ponce, Puerto Rico Entrada principal al nuevo edificio Rovira Biscuits Corp en Barrio Sabanetas, Ponce, PR (DSC05091).jpg
Main entrance to the new facilities of Rovira Biscuits Corporation in Barrio Sabanetas, Ponce, Puerto Rico

The company began in Puerto Rico in 1929 when company founder and Spanish immigrant [10] José María Rovira Viza purchased a small bakery on calle Villa, in downtown Ponce. [11] [12] In 1937, José Miguel Rovira, José María Rovira’s son, joined the Company and started the transformation into a crackers manufacturer. During the next decade, and throughout the Second World War, the company expanded its product offerings and facilities. [13]

In 1947, the company became a legally registered corporation in Puerto Rico under the name of Rovira Biscuit Corporation and, in the same year, it built new manufacturing facilities in Ponce. In 1952 it moved from its original location in downtown Ponce to the Cuatro Calles sector, near Avenida Las Americas. The new facility provided 50,000 square feet of space. [14] In the early 1950s, further growth allowed the company to start marketing its products to the East Coast of the United States, to satisfy the demand of the large number of Puerto Ricans who had started to migrate there in those years. This was followed by expanding its market to the Caribbean area. In the 1960s, the company added new technology, marketing plans, and management turning "Rovira" into a household name among consumers in Puerto Rico. Also in the 1960s, the company expanded its marketing into areas in the United States beyond the East Coast. [15]

In the 2000s a company spinoff, Rovira Foods, Inc., was established to respond to the growing sales and distribution business in Puerto Rico. It represents the "Rovira" crackers and "Eric’s" snacks brand names in addition to over 10 different product brands in the United States, Spain and Brazil. From this point forward, Rovira Biscuits Corporation, became the manufacturing arm of Rovira Foods, Inc. [16]

In 2009, the company invested $25 million in a new 100,000 square feet corporate facility in the Mercedita sector of Barrio Vayas in Ponce. The company had been operating from a facility one-third that size located in the Cuatro Calles sector of barrio San Antón. [17] The new facility operates 24 hours a day. [18]

Expansion

In addition to its new facility near the intersection of PR-52 and PR-10, Rovira Biscuit Corporation now also operates out of a new facility located on the outskirts of Ponce, close to PR-2. This move is intended to "improve efficiency and production capacity to solidify [the company's] position as the most important cracker manufacturer in Puerto Rico." [19]

Sales and market share

The company has 43% of the cracker business market share of the Island. [20] International exports account for 32% of the company's sales. [21]

Production

The company uses 150,000 pounds (75 tons) of flour every day in its manufacturing of crackers at its 100,000 square feet manufacturing facility. [22]

Leadership

As a private, family business, the company's board of directors consists of Rafael Luis Rovira, president, and Frances Rovira, Carlos Juan Rovira, and José Antonio Rovira, board members. [23]

The leadership structure is as follows: [24]

In 1980 Keebler Corporation sued Rovira alleging illegal used of the words "export sodas" in its labels. The U.S. Court of Appeals decided in favor of Rovira [25] stating that in the minds of Puerto Rican consumers the words "export soda" had come to be associated with the particular type of craker sold by Rovira. [26] The quasi-landmark case was won on the basis that "Rovira's affirmative defense of genericness was not barred by the federal rules." [27]

Products

Legacy

Jose Miguel Rovira, the son of founder Jose Maria Rovira and first Ponce-born member of the Rovira family is honored at Ponce's Park of Illustrious Ponce Citizens. [28]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Puerto Rico</span> Main public university system of Puerto Rico

The University of Puerto Rico is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,300 faculty members. UPR has the largest and most diverse academic offerings in the commonwealth, with 472 academic programs of which 32 lead to a doctorate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercedita International Airport</span> Airport in Ponce, Puerto Rico

Mercedita International Airport is a public use international airport located three nautical miles (6 km) east of the central business district of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The airport covers 270 cuerdas of land and has one runway. It was inaugurated as an international airport on 1 November 1990. It was built with combined funds from the Municipality of Ponce and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

<i>El Nuevo Día</i> Puerto Rican daily newspaper

El Nuevo Día is the newspaper with the largest circulation in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1909 in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and today it is a subsidiary of GFR Media. Its headquarters are in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

<i>El Vocero</i> Puerto Rican newspaper

El Vocero de Puerto Rico is a Puerto Rican free newspaper that is published in San Juan. Published since 1974, El Vocero was at first the third of the four largest Puerto Rico newspapers, trailing El Mundo and El Nuevo Día and leading El Reportero and The San Juan Star in sales. With the temporary demise in the late 1980s of El Mundo, El Vocero became even more popular, becoming the island's largest newspaper by 1994. From 1985 to 2013 it was owned by Caribbean International News Corp. The owners of Caribbean International News Corp, and therefore owners of El Vocero, were Elliot Stein, I. Martin Pompadur and The Henry Crown Co.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer</span> Puerto Rican brothel owner

Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer, better known as "Isabel la Negra", was a Puerto Rican brothel owner and madam in barrio Maragüez, Ponce, Puerto Rico. Her name and her brothel, Elizabeth's Dancing Club, became part of Puerto Rican folklore both during her life and posthumously.

The media of Puerto Rico includes local radio stations, television stations and newspapers; for the majority of all these the language is Spanish. There are also three stations of the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.

Luis Germán Cajiga is Puerto Rican painter, poet and essayist known for his screen printing depicting Puerto Rico's natural landscape, its creole culture, and religious motifs. He was born in 1934, in the municipality of Quebradillas, Puerto Rico, and his studio is currently based in the Old San Juan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotel Ponce Intercontinental</span> Abandoned hotel in Ponce, Puerto Rico

The Hotel Ponce Intercontinental is an abandoned hotel with a still existing structure at Cerro del Vigía in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The structure is considered a historic landmark and a national icon in the city of Ponce and Puerto Rico. The property is currently owned by Misla Hospitality Group, a family of local Ponce investors who bought it from CBC Development. Its architecture is classical modern. When it opened, in 1960, it became the first modern hotel in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centro Ponceño de Autismo</span> Organization in Ponce, Puerto Rico

The Centro Ponceño de Autismo, or CEPA, is the only center specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of autism in Puerto Rico. It is a non-profit organization. The center leads progressive research studies and medical training while providing comprehensive, personalized care to children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), including Asperger's Disorder and PDD NOS. Working together with families, the Centro Ponceño de Autismo aims to identify the causes of autism and advance effective treatments. In 2011, it was reported that the Center cared for 179 patients.

Juan Bigas Moulins was a nineteenth-century Puerto Rican businessman in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

José Miguel Rovira was a Puerto Rican industrialist and co-founder and main driving force behind Rovira Biscuits Corporation during its formative years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SITRAS</span> Mass transit system in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico

SITRAS, officially, Sistema Integrado de TRAnsportación del Sur, is the mass transit system in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The service was inaugurated on 14 February 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Día Mundial de Ponce</span> Cultural celebration held in Ponce, Puerto Rico

Día Mundial de Ponce is a cultural celebration held in Ponce, Puerto Rico, every year during the month of September. The celebration actually starts the Monday before Labor Day with various evening-time cultural festivities. It then culminates with the grand parade that takes place on the Sunday before Labor Day. The celebration started in 2012 and has an estimated attendance of 4,000 people. The week-long event aims to celebrate the cultural heritage of the city by giving tribute to the organizations, the people and "the great sons and daughters of the city of Ponce." The first year of this celebration, the Grand Parade took place on the last Sunday of the celebration, but starting in 2013, the week-long events ended on a Saturday and the Grand Parade was changed to take place the last Saturday. That year the celebration was also changed to occur the last weekend of September, rather than the weekend before Labor Day.

Hospital Oncológico Andrés Grillasca or, more commonly, Hospital Oncológico, is a private, nonprofit hospital in Ponce, Puerto Rico, specializing in the treatment of cancer.

The second season of Idol Puerto Rico premiered on July 29, 2012, and will end on November 12, 2012. Like the previous season, it is hosted by Jaime Augusto Mayol. The victory went to Gremal Maldonado., Its origin is Dominican-Puerto Rican.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sovereigntism (Puerto Rico)</span> Movement to achieve sovereignty

The free association movement in Puerto Rico refers to initiatives throughout the history of Puerto Rico aimed at changing the current political status of Puerto Rico to that of a sovereign freely associated state. Locally, the term soberanista refers to someone that seeks to redefine the relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States to that of a compact with full sovereignty. The term is mostly used in reference to those that support a compact of free association or a variation of this formula, commonly known as Estado Libre Asociado (ELA) Soberano, between Puerto Rico and the United States. Members of the independence movement that are willing to pursue alliances with this ideology are occasionally referred to as such, but are mostly known as independentistas. Consequently, soberanismo then became the local name for the free association movement.

The Justas de Atletismo y Festival Deportivo de Puerto Rico —better known as Las Justas Intercolegiales or simply as Las Justas — is an intercollegiate sports competition held annually in Puerto Rico where Puerto Rican colleges and universities compete against each other in different sports. The event is sponsored by the Liga Atlética Interuniversitaria de Puerto Rico (LAI). The event usually include competitions in softball, basketball, beach volleyball, judo, table tennis, swimming, cheerleading, women's football, and athletics.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Maratón La Guadalupe de Ponce, is a long-distance running event held every year in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Established in 1970, it is the only Olympic marathon held in Puerto Rico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Puerto Rico

The COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico is an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It is part of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

References

  1. ↑ Dramatizan “¡a galletazo limpio!”. Zenaida Ramos Ramos and Angel L. Vázquez. El Vocero. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  2. ↑ Dramatizan “¡a galletazo limpio!”. Zenaida Ramos Ramos and Angel L. Vázquez. El Vocero. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  3. ↑ Dramatizan “¡a galletazo limpio!”. Zenaida Ramos Ramos and Angel L. Vázquez. El Vocero. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  4. ↑ Dan cátedra de empresarismo familiar. Sandra Torres Guzmán. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 21 August 2012. Year 30. Issue 1499. Page 26. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  5. ↑ Dramatizan “¡a galletazo limpio!”. Zenaida Ramos Ramos and Angel L. Vázquez. El Vocero. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  6. ↑ Glassdoor. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  7. ↑ Glassdoor. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  8. ↑ El Grupo Rovira se prepara para permanecer en el mercado 80 años más. Archived 19 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine El Nuevo Dia. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1 November 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  9. ↑ El Grupo Rovira se prepara para permanecer en el mercado 80 años más. Archived 19 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine El Nuevo Dia. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1 November 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  10. ↑ Dramatizan “¡a galletazo limpio!”. Zenaida Ramos Ramos and Angel L. Vázquez. El Vocero. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  11. ↑ El Grupo Rovira se prepara para permanecer en el mercado 80 años más. Archived 19 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine El Nuevo Dia. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1 November 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  12. ↑ Rovira History. Rovira Biscuits Corporation. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  13. ↑ Rovira History. Rovira Biscuits Corporation. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  14. ↑ Consorcio reconoce a empresa local. Carmen Cila Rodríguez La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 24 April 2013. Page 10. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  15. ↑ Rovira History. Rovira Biscuits Corporation. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  16. ↑ Rovira History. Rovira Biscuits Corporation. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  17. ↑ El Grupo Rovira se prepara para permanecer en el mercado 80 años más. Archived 19 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine El Nuevo Dia. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1 November 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  18. ↑ El Grupo Rovira se prepara para permanecer en el mercado 80 años más. Archived 19 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine El Nuevo Dia. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1 November 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  19. ↑ Rovira History. Rovira Biscuits Corporation. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  20. ↑ Rovira History. Rovira Biscuits Corporation. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  21. ↑ El Grupo Rovira se prepara para permanecer en el mercado 80 años más. Archived 19 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine El Nuevo Dia. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1 November 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  22. ↑ Dramatizan “¡a galletazo limpio!”. Zenaida Ramos Ramos and Angel L. Vázquez. El Vocero. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  23. ↑ Dramatizan “¡a galletazo limpio!”. Zenaida Ramos Ramos and Angel L. Vázquez. El Vocero. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  24. ↑ El Grupo Rovira se prepara para permanecer en el mercado 80 años más. Archived 19 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine El Nuevo Dia. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1 November 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  25. ↑ El Grupo Rovira se prepara para permanecer en el mercado 80 años más. Archived 19 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine El Nuevo Dia. San Juan, Puerto Rico. 1 November 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  26. ↑ 624 F.2d 366 (207 U.S.P.Q. 465) KEEBLER COMPANY v. ROVIRA BISCUIT CORPORATION. Archived 7 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine Nos. 79-1483, 79-1484. United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  27. ↑ generic(al)ness. Bryan A. Garner. A dictionary of modern legal usage. Oxford University Press. 1995. Page 383. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  28. ↑ Commerce and Business. TravelPonce.com Retrieved 23 December 2011.

Coordinates: 18°1′18″N66°34′28″W / 18.02167°N 66.57444°W / 18.02167; -66.57444

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.