About Kati
“I wish you the taste and the experience that I was able to experience as a child”
I am a passionate businesswoman in the Netherlands of Spanish descent, with more than ten years of experience in the fascinating world of Spanish Jamón, Spanish ham in general and Ibérico ham in particular.
Love moved me to the Netherlands, but my passion for Iberian ham has never disappeared. On the contrary, I decided to share these happy memories and flavors with the people around me, spreading the craft and tradition of Iberian ham in my new homeland.
My love and knowledge of ham started in my childhood, on my grandparents' farm in Huelva, Andalusia, where we raised Iberian pigs and grew hams according to ancient traditions.
I grew up surrounded by these tastes and smells, and many of the hams we cured on the farm helped finance my high school and college education.
For me, Jamón is much more than a gastronomic jewel; it represents my culture, my roots, my history and brings back happy and unforgettable childhood memories.
Besides wanting to share my love for ham and all that it entails, I thought it was important to learn all about ham and the different cutting techniques. So in 2013 I traveled to Spain to become a Cortadora Profesional de Jamón (Professional ham cutter) and also took courses on events and strategies, obtaining both certificates.
Over the years I have grown in control and technique by taking various courses from Spanish maestros cortadores, master carvers.
Over the past ten years I have expanded my expertise by attending courses, masterclasses and ham conferences, and by collaborating with various companies in different European countries. In addition, I have followed courses with other professionals involved in sensory analysis of ham and specialized courses in wine and sherry.
My education, knowledge and experience enable me to provide a high-quality service and share my passion with anyone who wants to discover the wonderful world of Spanish ham in the Netherlands and around the world.
I like to share my knowledge with other people. Transferring knowledge like a master does.
I don't feel like a "Maestra Cortadora", a master carver, but rather an enthusiastic student in constant evolution.
My love for ham is just the beginning of my dedication to all things Spanish. Over the years I have had the privilege of working on various activities promoting Spain “with and without ham” and I have had the opportunity to represent Spain and meet many great people.
If you are an institution, a Spanish region or a brand interested in promotion in the Benelux and other countries, I am here to help you bring your message and your products to an international audience!
I invite you to join me on this journey to discover and celebrate everything that makes Spain a treasure to the world. Take today Contact join me to explore how we can work together and bring the essence of Spanish Jamón and of Spain beyond our borders.
Ham carver
Cati Gómez is regarded worldwide as a highly qualified and versatile Cortadora and as an excellent ambassador of Spanish ham.
Since she obtained the title of Cortadora professional de Jamón in 2013, she has not stopped learning, both theoretically and practically. She has followed a wide range of courses and masterclasses with professionals and master carvers in Spain.
In addition to her theoretical and practical knowledge of ham, his love and respect for the product, as well as his impartiality and independence, have made producers of Spanish ham and Italian prosciutto as well as importers in Europe want to count on his services to represent their brands.
Advisor and consultant
As an independent advisor, Cati knows many brands and is in constant contact with many manufacturers. Due to her extensive knowledge of all types of Spanish Jamón and other Spanish products, she can offer an extensive advisory service to entrepreneurs who want to work with ham in their business and want guidance and assistance; importers, distributors, hotels, restaurants.
Independent advice therefore means that you receive advice in which only your interests come first, after all, there is no one else who can influence the advice given.
As a consultant, Cati offers an independent and exclusive service in the Netherlands as a connection point to the Spanish product and to solve problems that may arise due to the difference in language, culture, etc.
This means that you will receive advice on which type of ham best suits your company. Cati also gives advice on how to preserve, how to cut and how to make the product profitable.
“Now after ten years as an entrepreneur and always remaining untethered from other companies, I am very satisfied with the path I have chosen. All this time I have remained independent and have never been commercially associated with manufacturers, suppliers or any brand.”
Educator and trainer
Cati has extensive knowledge of all types of Spanish Ham and their production areas. She is well aware of the specific Spanish legislation regarding the production of the ham.
As Cortadora, she has of course mastered all the ham cutting techniques and can transfer these to others where necessary.
Are you a catering school or catering company and would you like to teach your students or staff the theory and practice of the production and processing of Spanish Ham? Then the Ham Academy a suitable choice.
Awards
Ham Woman 2018
A very nice moment in her career was when she was chosen in 2018 as one of the 'women of the ham world' together with other professional women working in this sector. Cati as an entrepreneur, Cortadora de Jamón and importer in the Netherlands, she gave a presentation at the University of Córdoba about her experience and role as women working in the ham sector.
AGACUJ
Since 2016, Cati has been an active member of the management team of AGACUJ, a non-profit association founded in Cádiz and a reference point in Spain in the world of ham, responsible for protecting the culture of ham and shoulder ham. Founded by a wide variety of professionals from the ham sector: breeders, producers, veterinarians, cortadores, centifiers, teachers, researchers, etc.
Agacuj and its members are committed to passing on the right information to consumers in addition to dissemination, training and information to protect consumers and the ham and shoulder as heritage.
National Association of Ham Cutters - ANCJ
In addition to being a member and Ham Slicer of the ANCJ, National Association of Ham Slicers of Spain, https://ancj.org/ Cati has been a member of the association's management team since 2019. She is responsible for the projects and innovation department.
This non-profit association is the only official international association of professional ham cutters and is responsible for holding the Spanish Ham Cutting Championships and for training professional ham cutters.
Jury member of the Cortadores de Jamón 2017 competition
What customers say about Cati
I recommend without a doubt Cati Gómez, she is an excellent ambassador for Iberian ham in Europe. For more than eight years we have been working with Cati in the development of our brands in Central Europe and always with very good results. Her professionalism and professional development in all these years we have seen her love for Consorcio de Jabugo's Iberian ham is evident, as well as her knowledge of the product and her perfection of ham cutting, Cati is a very empathetic person who cares about the customer reaches. This, together with her fluency in Dutch, Spanish and English, makes it much easier to convey the virtues of the ham to consumers.
Cati stands out for her professionalism in all aspects, her involvement and her ability to become an essential part of all the projects in which she participates.
Cati is involved as if she were just another person in our company. Her extensive knowledge, both of ham as a product and of the business sector in Spain and Western Europe, makes her an indispensable partner when it comes to opening markets in Europe and promoting our products.
Cati's ability to connect with people and transfer her vast knowledge ensures that projects can be carried out with guaranteed success.
In addition, her broad vision of the world of ham and her experience as a trader in the Netherlands and other European countries are a formula that make her a business driver.
Our experience with Cati Gómez has always been 10 out of 10 in all the projects we have worked with her on.
My overall experience with Cati is truly unsurpassed. From the first collaboration to the last, there was always a great professional relationship and common values and philosophy, which is indispensable in today's world of ham. It is always a pleasure to work with professionals like Cati Gómez, who defend the ham sector and give it the importance it deserves.
What I remember most about working with Cati is the great professionalism in her work, dedication, perseverance, enthusiasm… and when it comes to cutting, neatness, adapting to the situation/market, decorative details on the table… but above all her great enthusiasm to expand the ham worldwide and specifically in the Netherlands where it is already the reference as a slicer and prescriber of ham.
I would like to highlight her honesty, humility and professionalism along with the aforementioned enthusiasm she puts into every activity she undertakes.
I would definitely recommend Cati. In addition to the above, we have a great personal bond of friendship that unites us, and this is thanks to the world of ham. Thanks to this sector and the fact that we share the same values and principles, everything runs perfectly at a professional level. There is no doubt that her services are highly commendable, but Cati Gómez is even more so as a person.
Our general experience with Cati Gómez's services is very positive. She is aalways goEd is prepared and gets to work right away
HThe most remarkable thing about our experience with Cati as a professional ham slicer and prescriber is the good knowledge about the products from Andalusia, and the clear explanation that they give to the consumer.
We recommend Cati to others. She is the right person to share the knowledge about the beautiful products of the Ibérico with others.
We have had the opportunity to work with Cati Gómez several times. Cati is a professional and charming ham cutter who gives our guests a special experience.
Cati is a qualitative addition to a high-end event. She gives her special hams an extra dimension.
We would definitely recommend Cati Gómez to others, she is great professional, reliable and goes for quality.
Working with Cati is always a pleasure!
It was a pleasure to have Cati Gómez with us during the METEC fair (in Düsseldorf, Germany).
She was definitely a great added value to our booth. Her service was great and the ham and cheese she supplied us with were excellent.
Our customers were happy and so were we!
Cati Gómez is a pleasure to work with. We can always rely on her, her professionalism, customer friendliness and hospitality are unsurpassable. We always look forward to welcoming her back to enjoy our guests!
In addition to her excellent professionalism and knowledge of her profession, Cati is also an example of the well-known Spanish hospitality!
She is very professional, passionate about her profession and very hospitable.
I absolutely recommend Cati!