“If you go there, ask anyone who’s the preeminent [foodservice] distributor in Puerto Rico — only one name will come up, and it’s Jose Santiago.”

For nearly 125 years, restaurants on the island of Puerto Rico have turned to a singular, iconic, family-operated business for their culinary needs. In the scenic U.S. territory, located about 1,000 miles southeast of Miami, Jose Santiago is as well-known as any blockbuster American brand — serving everything from restaurants and hospitality (including the big resort hotels and the smaller “paradores” or inns), catering, education, the healthcare sector, and public sector departments.

“We will go to virtually every single municipality on the island,” said Jose Santiago, Sr. “There are 78 municipalities! And we go to each and every one, every day, and then to the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, where we go bi-weekly or once a week, depending on the time of year.”

It’s an amazing story of perseverance and success that dates back to 1902, when Jose Sr.’s grandfather started a grocery store on the island, not long after arriving from Spain. The latest milestone occurred in July 2024, when the family business became part of Performance Foodservice. This is the tale of a proud legacy, largely unmatched in the Caribbean.

Operation Bootstrap

After a few years in the grocery business, the Santiago family began importing and distributing food products. Then, throughout roughly the first half of the 20th century, the company steadily became the finest retailer in Puerto Rico, entering into refrigerated storage in the ‘30s.

Jose Sr. explained, “In 1950, when my grandfather passed away, my father decided he didn’t want to be a supermarket chain, and he decided to concentrate on distribution at that point.”

At the time, the economy of Puerto Rico was being transformed from agrarian to industrial through a public initiative called Operation Bootstrap. As infrastructure and investments began pouring into the island, so did an influx of population to San Juan — and the standard of living, along with the tourism industry, began to boom.

“Actually, the first Hilton in Puerto Rico was constructed in 1947,” Jose Sr. said. “The Condado Vanderbilt Hotel had existed before that, but tourism was growing significantly by this time.”

Jose’s father had built a base of operations some distance away from the port area of San Juan, in what would become the new commercial district of the city. Jose Sr. himself joined the company in 1977, and after a stint headquartered in a bustling retail area, the company returned to their original location in 1996.

Service Second to None

The current facility houses the storage of dry, perforated, and frozen foods, in addition to a mechanic shop, an in-house truck repair shed, and retail for foodservice — providing solutions for the smaller operators in the area. “We do that all in-house,” Jose Sr. explained.

A nearby flour mill, also known as Molinos, supports Jose Santiago’s efforts in the pizza & Italian segment, supplying bakery goods and pizza flours. And the family is close to doubling their freezer space, helping them grow into categories like cleaning and janitorial.

Because of their relationship with the mill, pizza is a “category we’re going to grow substantially in,” said Jose Sr. And by bringing in Braveheart® Black Angus Beef, “We’re going to grow more into center-of-the-plate, with portion control and boxed beef, as well,” he said.

‘Everybody Trusts Us’

According to Jose Sr., Jose Santiago has an excellent reputation because, “They know we’ll get the right products to them on time, and in good condition. They don’t want surprises."

“We have identified products, most of them made in Puerto Rico, that are going to be available in some Latin markets throughout the U.S.,” he continued.

“Local food manufacturers are going to be able to expand and grow with the support [of Performance Foodservice]. It goes from a local manufacturer of paper cups and lids that are eco-friendly to manufacturers of frozen products.

“And our coffee brand is really impressive — it’s incredibly good. It’s roasted and grown in Puerto Rico. Everybody just fell in love with our brand and our packaging when they saw it. I think that’s going to have a very substantial impact on Puerto Rico. And I’m very proud of that indeed.”