Chocolate and Nougat.
La Vila Joiosa smells of cocoa and roasted almonds. La Vila Joiosa smells of chocolate. Waking up and smelling the aroma of this sweet "liquid gold" is a unique experience reserved for the privileged few who live in or visit this town. The chocolate industry has been one of the traditional economic activities of la Vila Joiosa since the 19th century, and even though only three factories and four brands are currently active, there have been more than seventy brands over the years.
Possibly the role of the Vila Joiosa port in the 18th and 19th centuries helped the development of this "sweet industry". Large boats used to leave from la Vila Joiosa to America loaded with fabrics and cigarette paper coming from Alcoy, bringing back cocoa on their return. The first productions were handmade, often developed in the back of the house, as a complementary activity to agriculture.
The highly recommended visit to the factories of Chocolates Valor, Chocolates Clavileño and Chocolates Pérez will let us understand the process of making chocolate and get to know the history of the local industry, since the three factories, besides the shops with the wide variety of products of the different brands, contain also museums that explain their history and the importance of our city for the chocolate industry. In fact, the Chocolates Valor Museum was declared the Valencian Chocolate Museum in 2008.
Also Chocolates Marcos Tonda has a distribution centre in town with its own shop, where you can discover and taste their products. And last but not least, the most recently created brand, the artisan-ecological chocolate Toni Garsi
This drink of the gods has modeled the history of La Vila Joiosa and the personality of its inhabitants. That is why every time you have an ounce, a bonbon or a cup of chocolate remember that "God gave wings to the angels and chocolate to La Vila Joiosa".
The essential ingredients of turrón, the Spanish Christmas sweet, are the Mediterranean Marcona almonds and orange blossom honey. This sweet has its own name in La Vila Joiosa: Carremi. Four generations of turron masters have been able to maintain the essence of this sweet, focusing on quality rather than quantity. Like Chocolates Pérez, Carremi has the "Artesanía de la Comunitat Valenciana" seal of approval, as it maintains the traditional production processes. Carremi's products are distributed in traditional and gourmet shops, some of them are their own specialities, such as the "Turrón blando a la piedra", and others are true works of art such as the "Pan de Cádiz", handmade one by one. Don't miss the Chocolate and Nougat Route, it is delicious.
Don't miss the Chocolate and Nougat Route, it is delicious.
See route
