Bierzo goat cheese With Alicante nougat, miguelitos de la Roda with Jijona nougat, cookie, yoghurts, wafers… Xixona’s Christmas dessert is in fashion. More than one twenty marks from other products left He fell under the spell of protected nougats, which allowed the Xixonenca industry to deepen the desired deseasonalization.
Xixona’s agri-food sector faces the following challenges: Christmas campaign with good prospects despite accumulated inflation advances in diversification. Regulatory Council Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) Jijona and Turrón de Alicante predicts this maintain sales Last year, the sector achieved a 4 percent increase. At the same time, this organization announced several initiatives aimed to promote sales throughout the yearnot just during the Christmas season. One of them consists in the incorporation into other products of protected nougats “conquered” by the PGI quality seal. And with great success.
Federico Moncunill, Secretary General of the Organizing Council, gave an assessment of the current campaign, which will be decisive in the coming weeks. “Exports will be slightly lower than last year, between 2% and 3% higher, while the national market behaves similarly to 2022.” Therefore, the prediction is that the 4% increase from the last Christmas campaign when Xixona factories were sold will be consolidated. 72 million nougat sticks, 22 of which are under the PGI quality seal. That is 3.5 million kilograms protected sweets represented a billing 150 million euros. Except for all this all kinds of chocolate and other desserts. Last year, export growth was around 10% and their main market was the South. United States and Latin America. We should also not forget that the industry has already returned to its previous state in 2021. pre-pandemic figures.
when it comes Price:%sAlthough the Regulatory Council does not evaluate the development of this situation and states that this is a problem that concerns the companies themselves, Moncunill emphasized: “We generally observe that many prices have increased very much, but Nougat companies are making great efforts to avoid getting into this inflation spiral“, pointed out that the price of almonds, which play a key role in nougat production, was not affected by this development.
Nougat in other products
On the other hand, the Regulatory Council secretary stated: two important news Within the scope of the work carried out to sell protected nougat throughout the year for the agriculture-food sector; seasonally adjust sales. One of them is IGP. In less than two years, agreements were reached to incorporate protected nougat into other products.Thus, it bears and promotes the quality seal of Turrón de Jijona or Turrón de Alicante. And the IGP quality seal is highly appreciated by other companies.
Moncunill explained this This route was tried a long time ago and failed.but with a new approach starting from the beginning of 2022 Great successIncorporating nougat into products such as Miguelitos de la Roda, yoghurts, ice creams, wafers, cookies…This establishes the minimum amount of protected nougat that the product wishing to include the PGI seal must carry, which is a high percentage to guarantee. quality from the result. One of the last ones Bierzo goat cheese with Alicante nougat, newly released to the market.
The Regulatory Council stated: “For almost two years we have found that: increasing business practices Those who want to identify themselves with the seal of quality and include it in their products, those who want to get authority. We already have 24 products certified with the quality seal.” Moncunill emphasized the following on this subject: “We are very pleased. This is a path that started a long time ago but did not work. And now one model change This is widely accepted”.
Previously there was a stricter approachIt even included some form of payment Canyon For the use of IGP certificate, Apart from paying for the nougat they include in their products. And now companies They only pay for the nougat they add to the productNot because of the agreement.
Shops all year round in tourist areas
The other innovation emphasized by Moncunill isThe progress of nougat companies in opening stores in tourist areas sell sweets all year round, especially to tourists. An example of this Nougats 1880From the company Xixonenca Confectionery Holding -also produces Kurd– already have 14 sales points throughout SpainWhich is open all year round.
Based on this nougat, they emphasized that they started and opened the Casa 1880 project in 2021. own storesthe last one Saint SebastianIt has 14 stores and 3 museums. In addition to the Nougat Museum located at the Xixona factory, two others Toledo and Madrid“The aim is to introduce the product consisting of nougat, marzipan and chocolate to consumers throughout the year,” said Beatriz Sirvent, Marketing Manager of Confectionery Holding. Although nationals continue to shop mostly during the Christmas period, it is international customers who come to stores the rest of the year. 75 percent of sales are to foreignersŞirvent attracted attention. Therefore, turronera already has stores Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Granada, Toledo and San Sebastián.
World Nougat Day
Together with the industry to promote sales Xixona City Council They are taking various initiatives. On the one hand, it was claimed that this month’s November 7th is World Nougat Day. This is a project supported by the City Council and the Board of Regulatory Affairs in 2021, with the support of the Municipality. Generalitat Valencia, l’Nefis Mediterranean And Committee Organized by Alicante, among other institutions, and held for a week activities on the occasion of this claim. The proposal to formalize this day is awaiting the positive report of the National Office. UNESCO and this year he had the support of his representatives. Origin: SpainAssociation of Denominations of Spanish Origin.
The purpose of all this was to promote Cradle of Nougat, which also became the leader in the world. cocoa production. And in recent years Xixona has established itself as “The sweetest place in the world“and the province leads the national chocolate production. And it is a representative sector. There are 1,000 direct jobs in the town and 1,000 more indirect jobs need to be added.
Christmas Fair
Likewise the next Tuesday, December 5taking advantage of Bridge for 6 and 8 DecemberA new edition of the successful Xixona Christmas Fair will take place. largest market for nougat, confectionery and chocolate. This is the fifteenth edition, which will run for six days. Until Sunday, December 10It will be open uninterruptedly between 10.00-21.00. The competition started in 2008 and attracts hundreds of thousands of people every year, breaking its own record with 127,000 visitors in its last edition.
City Council and Association of Entrepreneurs, Traders and Xixona Professionals (AEX) organized lots of activitiescomes from from children’s workshops to musical performances or storytelling, through nougat cooking demonstrations, food pairings, tastings and factory visitsamong others.
for this year christmas lightingThe life-size nativity scene in the Barranc de la Font at the southern entrance to the city center remains one of the most interesting attractions. In that region, A gastronomy area with children’s entertainment and food truckstables and chairs and their usage areas car park.