Augusto Ledesma

1925 - 2021

Augusto Ledesma
April 27, 1925 - May 6, 2021
Miami, Florida - Born to Augusto Ledesma Araoz and Estrella Socorro Alfonso and raised in Mariel, Pinar del Rio, Cuba, Ledesma attended the University of Havana and University of Oriente while working to support his family after the passing of his father at 16 years old.
His 80 year long career began with various roles and industries in Cuba including public accounting and auditing sugar mills, coffee manufacturing and wheat. His last role in his beloved country was as General Manager for la Molinera Oriental in Santiago de Cuba. In October 1960, after the nationalization of the Molinera by the Castro regime, he left Cuba as an exile, thinking he would soon return.
Upon his arrival in the US, he soon established Ancel Products, a canned fruit processing operation known today for its quality guava paste. During his search for a distributor partner for his Ancel products, Ledesma came upon a life changing moment – when he met the owner of a then small organization named Goya in Brooklyn, NY, founded by Don Prudencio Unanue. The successful partnership flourished and in 1970, expanded when Ledesma was asked by Don Prudencio to build a new plant in the Dominican Republic. This venture established Goya of Santo Domingo, and catapulted Ledesma into various leadership roles throughout Goya of Puerto Rico and Florida, culminating in his promotion to President of Goya Foods of Florida, an honor only held by members of the Unanue family. In 1995, he retired only to come back 2 years later, to oversee the establishment of a new state of the art, food processing plant in the Dominican Republic.
His wealth of experience and strategic vision helped shape what quickly became a record-breaking operation that poured revenue into the Goya enterprise and contributed to the growth of the Goya product lines. This leg of his career was served between the ages 70 – 95, a role which he appreciated as his post-retirement hobby - keeping him busy until 2 months before his passing.
Loved by all who knew him, Ledesma was truly an exceptional mentor, orator, educator, marketer and visionary who led with humility, grace, prowess and purpose. One of the last renaissance men in the business world, a true gentleman and a Cuban-American legend in Miami, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic, he will be truly missed but his legacy will never diminish.
Mr. Augusto Ledesma is survived by his wife, Rosamaria, his 5 children, Jacqueline, Luis, Richard, Teresa and Maria and his 6 grandchildren, Cecilia, Emmeline, Carlos, Nikolas, Chelsea and Zachary.