Productos Chef, S.A. began operations in 1974 in the community of Villa Mella, Santo Domingo Norte, founded by Mr. Emilio Cadenas Adán, who arrived in the Dominican Republic from Puerto Rico, of Cuban origin, with plans to venture into the meat products industry. At the beginning, the company, headed by Mr. Cadenas, produced its products in a traditional manner, with the help of a small staff, as it did not have sufficient capital to build a production plant.