19th-century chocolate factory uncovered in Barcelona construction
Excavations in Plaça de la Lluna also reveal a 14th-century medieval palace
chocolate
World's Best Master Chocolatier shakes up sector with organic colors and new textures
26-year-old Lluc Crusellas, from central Catalonia, wants to grow the pastry culture in his home country
Catalonia's Lluc Crusellas named world’s finest chocolate craftsperson
Head of El Carme pastry shop in Vic wins World Chocolate Masters after three-day competition
Cacaolat comes to Portugal, increasing further the Catalan brand's internationalisation
Cacaolat – a popular chocolate milkshake produced in Catalonia since 1933 – continues to expand its international presence and has now arrived in Portugal as well. Invented in 1931 by Catalan entrepreneur Joan Viader Roger (already the owner of milk factory Letona), two years later it went on the market, becoming the first industrially manufactured cacao smoothie in the world, the company claims. Notwithstanding that its production was paralysed between 1936 and 1950, it went on to become a very popular product in Catalonia, also thanks to a smart communication strategy. Since 2012, it has belonged to the brewery Damm and soft drink producer Cobega, two of the leading beverage companies that founded the Grupo Cacaolat S.L, and the brand is now going through another sweet moment, after a few years of rough times.
Bakers expect to sell up to 900,000 “Mones de Pasqua”, the traditional Catalan Easter cake
Around the world people celebrate Easter with a range of different activities, and eating delicious cakes is one of them. Different countries or regions have developed different recipes. In Catalonia, Easter is associated with "mona de Pasqua" ("mones" in plural), a cake topped with chocolate figurines. This year, Catalan bakers expect to sell between 800,000 and 900,000 of them. Elies Miró, Chairman of the Patisserie Guild of Barcelona, confirms that he is "moderately optimistic", expecting sales to increase by 2% over 2014 figures. According to 2015 estimates, each Catalan family will spend on average between €40 and €50 on this Easter cake. The most popular versions of "mones" are still those made with butter, chocolate and candied fruit. This year, the top most-wanted characters are princesses Anna and Elsa from the Disney Animation movie Frozen.