Madera’s Emily Rey celebrates 100th birthday

Courtesy of Mika Flores

Emily Rey is surrounded by her entire family as she celebrates her 100th birthday on September 20. More than 150 family members converged to Madera to honor Rey.

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Longtime Madera resident Emily Rey reached a remarkable milestone on Monday, celebrating her 100th birthday the weekend prior, surrounded by more than 150 family members. Known for her warm heart and love of family, Rey especially treasures the times when everyone comes together.

In 1958, Emily and her husband, Ignacio, moved to Madera with a shared dream of building a business of their own. With just a $50 down payment from Pacific Finance Company, they opened the Santa Rosalia Sausage Company at 339 South C Street. 

They were the first in Madera to produce and sell this style of traditional Mexican foods. At the company’s busiest, they produced between 4,000 and 5,000 pounds of fried pork rinds each day, along with barbecue skins, lonja (fried pork skins with fat), pork and beef chorizo, pickled pigs’ feet, lard, and masa — products that quickly became favorites in the community.