‘This is a family issue’: Allegations are flying behind the scenes at Goya Foods
Ramishah Maruf, CNN
6 min read
Bob Unanue, CEO of Goya Foods, makes remarks at the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 15, 2024. - Ron Sachs/CNP for New York Post/Sipa/File
Earlier this week, the controversial former boss of Goya Foods self-published a mysterious press release about his departure from the company. Robert “Bob” Unanue said that after nearly five decades at the family business, he was suddenly informed that his “employment” at the company was over and he had “no real answers” as to why, noting Goya did not publicly indicate he was no longer leading the company.
“While the (board’s) decision has left many questions unanswered,” Unanue, a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump, continued on X, “one thing is certain — I will not waver in my fight against child trafficking,” referencing his view that open border policies lead to exploitation and trafficking.
The post has nearly 70,000 likes on X and support in the comments from conservative-leaning accounts.
But a lawsuit filed in Bergen County, New Jersey Superior Court by Bob Unanue’s cousin and Goya executive and board member Francisco “Frankie” Unanue on February 5 alleges that Bob Unanue engaged in a “clandestine agreement” that permitted the “looting” of Goya and thereafter “colluded” with a long-time friend to “perpetrate and/or cover up the resulting damage to Goya.”
Bob Unanue was well aware of why he was removed from the board since at least early February – and it had nothing to do with Unanue’s political leanings or work against child trafficking, according to a source connected to the board who spoke on condition of anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak publicly.
In a statement, Goya Foods said its “recent decision regarding a change in leadership has absolutely no connection to politics, media appearances, nor has it impacted our vital work in protecting children and addressing food insecurity through our Goya Cares and Goya Gives initiatives.”
In a statement, a representative for Bob Unanue said, “Any allegations against Mr. Unanue are frivolous, absurd, and have absolutely no merit whatsoever. The allegations are both a smokescreen and defamatory and will be addressed accordingly.”
CNN has reached out to Frankie Unanue’s representation for comment.
‘Collusion’ in the IT department
Goya products are pictured in the specialty food isle at a Ralphs grocery store in Pasadena, California July 10, 2020. - Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
The lawsuit alleges that for nearly a decade, Bob Unanue failed to supervise his “decades-long friend” and hand-picked head of the company’s IT department, Suvajit Basu. Bob entered into a “clandestine agreement” to hire Basu for five years without the knowledge of the board, the lawsuit alleges, and “enabled, aided and abetted Basu,” which led to vulnerabilities in the IT structure, three full system shutdowns within a year and millions of dollars of misused funds.
Goya Foods filed a lawsuit against Basu in October 2024. In February, Frankie joined the case as a plaintiff and named Bob as a defendant.
A representative for Basu declined to comment.
“There is simply no doubt that Bob intentionally failed to exercise his duty of care, sought to interfere in the ordinary course of Goya’s business and permitted Basu for years to have ‘carte blanche’ over Goya’s IT function,” the updated February lawsuit said, going as far to say that Bob even interfered with the company’s efforts to fire Basu and repair the IT management.
That resulted in millions of wasted dollars, the lawsuit said.
For example, once Basu became IT head in 2015, he purged employees and brought in people affiliated with him, the lawsuit said. Those affiliates were serving duplicative roles, which caused the company to pay excessive consulting service fees, according to the February complaint.
Bob strongly defended Basu even after Basu’s termination in October 2024, according to the lawsuit, claiming the board asked him to fire Basu without cause and Basu was subject to harassment and defamation.
But Frankie Unanue’s lawsuit alleges that Bob Unanue refused to participate in a board meeting regarding an independent investigation into Basu and tried to deflect responsibility for the IT department onto others, all while refusing to turn over his electronic devices to Goya’s board and asserting that the author of the investigation had an “unknown agenda.”
Bob Unanue then went on to create “a fictitious written record” to support Basu, the complaint alleges.
Basu, in a counter complaint, alleged that Bob’s brother and Goya Foods vice president Peter Unanue, as well as Frankie, allowed and promoted discrimination and a hostile work environment over Basu’s age and Indian ancestry, including “racist jokes and verbal abuse,” such as being told by Goya executives that there were “too many Indians in the IT department.”
Goya said in a statement it denies “all of the allegations in Basu‘s counter claim and third-party complaint.”
Basu’s complaint also claims that his upgrades to the company’s internal systems, including automated demand forecasting systems that “increased revenue in the hundreds of millions of dollars,” were “the primary driver of Goya’s ascension to a billion-dollar corporation with approximately 4,000 employees worldwide.”
Though Goya is a private company, the lawsuit said it generates over $1.5 billion in annual revenue.
Frankie’s lawsuit against Bob alleges breach of fiduciary duty, among other counts, and seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages and attorneys’ fees. It also asks for a trial by jury.
A controversial figure
The inner workings of the nation’s largest Hispanic-owned food company are rarely publicized due to the dynamics of the family-controlled company and the fact that the company is private, not publicly owned.
The company was founded in 1936 by Bob’s grandfather, Don Prudencio Unanue and his wife Carolina. The nine-member board is still made up entirely of Unanue family members, the source said.
Francisco, Peter and Bob are the third generation of the Unanue family to run Goya, court documents said.
“This is a family issue, and they deal with those things the way they always do,” the source said. “Privately and through the board.”
“There is no reason he should be shocked,” the source added. “It was discussed with him.”
Unanue’s connections to politics have landed him, and the company, in hot water in the past.
In 2021, the board voted to censure Bob over controversial remarks questioning the legitimacy of the November 2020 election. He was no longer allowed to speak to the media without the board’s permission, a source told CNN in 2021.
Bob Unanue praised Trump in his first term, saying, “We are all truly blessed… to have a leader like President Trump who is a builder. We have an incredible builder, and we pray. We pray for our leadership, our president.”
Those comments spread like wildfire online, leading social media users to call for a boycott of the company.
Bob spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2024 in support of Trump, saying “four years ago, I dared to say that we were blessed by Donald J. Trump… got into trouble for that.”
CNN’s Maria Santana and Chris Isidore contributed to this report.
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