BUY-cott Sparked An Increase Sales Of Goya Products

For franchisers and small-scale businesses,, grocery canned goods aisles has become an interesting case study. After Goya CEO Robert Unanue praised President Donald Trump in early July, it has become an unexpected political battleground between liberal boycott and conservative support.

The result: an unexpected and surprising surge in the demand for Goya products.

A Twitter post last 14 July showed a Publix sign on a shelf of Goya products that reads, "Because of increased demand, customers are limited to two (2) of each item in this section."

Tim Young, the conservative comedian who posted the picture, wrote "The Goya boycott looks like it's working well."

Young's post, which has over 40k likes, has drawn comments from other Twitter users showcasing their Goya purchases. Many users were quick to tout the item limit as a sign that the conservative push to support Goya was succeeding over liberal calls to boycott the brand.

Many are taking to social media to flip the liberal narrative and calling for a Goya Foods "buy-cott."

"My brother came up with a terrific idea and I am encouraging all to join me in purchasing US$ 10 worth of Goya Foods products and donating them to your local food bank," self-described "conservatarian" radio host Mike Opelka wrote on Twitter. "Let's push a BUY-cott, not a boycott. Let's show the #Goyaway people what compassion can do.

Opelka's post received 27,000 likes.

"Most of these people fronting about a #GOYABOYCOTT either don't use Goya Foods anyways [a]nd most of the ones who do will cave by #NocheBuena," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., wrote on Twitter along with an "I Love Goya" graphic.

Business observers reported a massive uptick in demand for Goya products since the endorsement of President Trump, resulting in a nationwide shortage of nonperishable goods. Grocery stores all around the country are struggling to fill shelves completely as supply chains continue to rearrange themselves and consumers continue to buy more of their food from grocery stores.

The beginning of the pandemic also saw an unprecedented mad rush for Goya beans — an over 400 percent increase in demand. Goya's controversial CEO told the New York Times in a March article, "I've seen earthquakes and hurricanes. This is the first time I've seen this."