Jiménez butcher shops: Almost half a century serving the Hispanic community

What began as a small meat business is now a chain of eight variety supermarkets in Chicago and beyond.

“To women who want to start their own businesses, I would say focus on your education; on your personal and professional growth. That is the gateway to future opportunities.”

– Guadalupe Jiménez

By Migdalis Pérez

Next year, Carnicerías Jiménez will celebrate its 50th anniversary with the goal of continuing to expand beyond Chicago and serve its Hispanic community. This will be a major milestone for the company founded in 1975 by José and Guadalupe Jiménez, at the time, “young entrepreneurs who fulfilled their dream with God’s grace and the support of their family,” according to their daughter, Maribel.

The Human Resources Director and her father’s “right-hand woman,” the executive said that today they have eight locations (four in Chicago and the rest in Melrose Park, Wheeling, Addison, and West Chicago) and that they would like to open two more to serve their community in other parts of Illinois. “By doing that,” she said, “we would be creating more job opportunities for our people and, in addition, supporting the communities, as we have done until now.”

Currently, Carnicerías Jiménez is one of the oldest supermarket operators serving the Hispanic and ethnic market in the Chicago area and surrounding suburbs. And contrary to what one might think, it not only offers select fresh meats, but also other quality products, such as fruits, vegetables, and imported foods, in addition to its taco stands and bakeries.

“When my parents started,” Maribel recounted, “our focus was on Mexican products. Now, with the demographic shift, with so many migrants and people from other countries, we also offer products from Venezuela, Colombia, Guatemala, and Ecuador, among other Latin American nations.”

She has been part of the company’s growth since it opened (she was born in Chicago a year later), so, from a very young age, she accompanied her parents “through the sacrifices and the blessings.” Later, she went to college, graduated with a degree in Business Administration, and decided to return to continue helping them, even though her father is still actively involved.

“Every day, he goes to each store to oversee operations. My mother, sadly, passed away two years ago. She was also very active and always worked with him for the success of the business. When she died, I stepped up. I’ve always been involved, but since then, I’ve focused more on the stores,” she explained.

Of course, her Hispanic heritage runs in her veins. “My father was born on a small ranch in Jalisco, Mexico, and my mother was born here, but she’s originally from Michoacán.” Regarding the employees, she said they also belong to this community, since, of the 410, “most are Latino.”

When the topic of competition in the sector came up, Maribel acknowledged that “there’s a lot of it,” but that they don’t see it “as a problem: rather, we try to see what we’re not doing well, and where we can improve to provide better service, offer better products, and offer better prices.”

The Master in Human Resources also took the opportunity to offer some words of advice to women who want to start businesses in the food industry. “I would tell them to focus on their education; on their personal and professional growth. That’s the gateway to future opportunities.”

At the same time, she emphasized the importance of doing things right. “To get ahead,” she concluded, “you have to be transparent. My dad says you have to do things right from the beginning. ‘What starts well, ends well.’ Along with that, you have to face adversity without fear, and, of course, have a lot of faith, confidence, and motivation.”

Read article in Spanish / Leer artículo en español: https://negociosnow.com/carnicerias-jimenez-casi-medio-siglo-sirviendo-a-la-comunidad-hispana/