Unanue Goya Foods

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">a p<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">rominent conservative and Rice Lake native is pushing back against a boycott against a food company with a local “buycott” of its products.</span></font></div><div class="subscriber-preview" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 30px; line-height: 30px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Goya Foods “Buy-cott” arrived in Rice Lake as Foster Friess, 1958 Rice Lake High graduate, joined the efforts occurring around the nation to support freedom of speech, according to a press release from his nonprofit group Foster’s Outriders.</font></p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 30px; line-height: 30px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Bob Unanue CEO of Goya Foods, was invited to the White House last week for a summit on Hispanic economic opportunity, and while there praised President Trump.</b></font></p></div><div id="tncms-region-article_instory_top" class="tncms-region hidden-print" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 30px; line-height: 30px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>“We are truly blessed, at the same time, to have a leader like President Trump who is a builder,” said Unanue.</b></font></p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 30px; line-height: 30px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Almost immediately, #BoycottGoya, #GoyaFoods and #Goyaway began trending on social media platforms. Former Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and “Hamilton” writer Lin-Manuel Miranda joined the boycott calls.</font></p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 30px; line-height: 30px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump has been criticized because of his derogatory comments about Hispanics and harsh policies toward immigration, such as the separation of families at the U.S.-Mexico border. Hispanics have also been disproportionately hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and related economic recession, causing them to question Trump’s handling of both.</font></p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 30px; line-height: 30px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Friess said, “I do not recall President Obama’s supporters being attacked for their political perspective, so this is not about support for Trump. This is about do we still love America enough to keep alive the abilities of people to treat one another with respect and civility despite opposing political views?”</font></p></div><div id="tncms-region-article_instory_middle" class="tncms-region hidden-print" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 30px; line-height: 30px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He added, “People have the right to express political views without their employment or employees being affected.”</font></p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 30px; line-height: 30px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Unanue has defended his comments, noting that when President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama asked for his help to publicize healthily eating in the Hispanic community, he travelled to the White House in 2012 and put Goya Foods behind the effort.</b></font></p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 30px; line-height: 30px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Friess said he has cleaned out all the Goya products from Rice Lake grocery stores and delivered them to Lori Bowman Executive Director of Benjamin’s House emergency shelter.</font></p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 30px; line-height: 30px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Friess, who made a fortune as a stock broker, is considered a Republican mega-donor. As a resident of Wyoming, he finished second in a race for governor in 2018.</b></font></p></div><div class="subscriber-only" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 30px; line-height: 30px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He is also well-known for various philanthropic efforts, including donating $1 million to help those affected by the May 16, 2017, tornado that struck Barron and Rusk counties.</font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">===</font></div>