Carmencita stands as a leading force in the spice industry, joining the Centennial Companies Club this year at a gala held yesterday at the Teatro President in Alicante. With this merger, the province of Alicante now counts 29 partners within the Centenary Companies network. The initiative, supported by the Chamber of Commerce and the Alicante Province Family Business Association since July 2019, is an annual showcase of the enduring stories and performances of century-old businesses. These firms are marked by solidity, determination, and a forward-looking vision, built on long, robust careers and the resilience that has shaped the financial and industrial history of the region.
The IV Gala of Centennial Companies drew corporate and commercial representatives, and Carmencita was represented on stage by Jesús Navarro Navarro, Jesús Navarro Alberola, and Francisco Escudero Carlos Baño, with Nuria Montes and KPMG partner Ángel Paredes presenting the award. The event highlighted the ongoing contribution of historic enterprises to the local economy and culture, illustrating how tradition and modernity can converge in today’s market landscape.
Carmencita’s story began with a founder who did not rest on past successes but kept expanding through its own blends. Its roots trace back to a Newberry-born family in Novelda, where a persistent entrepreneur known as Jesús Navarro Jover, born the son of a large family, dreamed of self-sufficiency. He started from humble work at a sneaker factory and in an esparto herb trade, but retained a clear ambition to own a business. In time, he donated several plots of land with the condition that they would be used to build public schools, ensuring that future generations could access education. Today, the memory of this generosity is honored in the Jesús Navarro School and the Carmen Valero Municipal Kindergarten.
The spice trade in Novelda at that era revolved around saffron—brought from La Mancha and later exported to Asia and Africa—driven by a community’s hunger for growth amid scarce natural resources. Jesús Navarro’s mission was to do what others were already doing, yet to do it better and differently. His wife Carmen Valero, daughter of a local blacksmith who crafted carts and house bars, offered steadiness and practical support. She helped assemble a community network where neighbors, including her sisters, contributed to turning a kilo of saffron into as many as ten thousand small paper cups. The family labors and neighborly collaboration boosted the business into a trusted regional brand.
Marketing in the 20s
Early packaging used plain white wallets without branding. Jesús decided a distinctive mark was essential. In 1926 Carmencita’s name and image first appeared, with a photo of a daughter wearing a large bow that helped register the trademark on saffron envelopes. Yet competition in the area prompted improvisation. A marketing move involved removing the bow to reflect an Andalusian charm, pairing the girl with a Cordoba hat, a Manila shawl, and a carnation. This clever presentation gave Carmencita its recognizable look, evolving further during the Second Republic with saffron bag advertisements aired during cinema breaks and on billboards.
Subsequent years saw efforts to extend reach beyond the mainland. Plans to travel to the Canary Islands by sea coincided with a growing appetite for spices in island cuisines. In 1955, the introduction of machines accelerated saffron bag packaging, marking a major advance to meet rising demand and enabling broader market access for other spices. The 1960s brought diversification, with Carmencita expanding into jars and boxes and broadening its product line.
The next generation—Luis Navarro, Francisco Escolano, and Jesús Navarro Valero—built on founder values and reinforced a culture that valued tradition alongside modernity, vision, and leadership. Under their stewardship, Carmencita established itself as a clear market leader, trusted by cooks and retailers alike.
In 1985 Carmencita launched one of its star products, Paellero spice mix for paella, supported by the company’s first television advertisements. A few years later, in 1990, packaging redesigns accompanied a strategic expansion to more than 40 countries, aligning with a generational shift in management and a renewed international focus.
Innovation and solidarity
Today, Novelda houses one of Europe’s most modern spice factories. The R&D department is strongly prepared to drive product development, with a priority on health and nutrition. Carmencita’s products continually adapt to evolving consumer needs, a commitment recognized by the Spanish Federation of Celiac Societies with the Face Award in 2019.
The founder’s spirit remains evident in the company’s social commitments. The Alicante Gastronomy Solidarity initiative, for example, mobilizes resources to prepare more than 900 weekly menus for distribution to the province’s most disadvantaged residents. This tradition of community support is a core element of Carmencita’s identity as a business with a strong local heartbeat.
Carmencita’s collaboration with regional institutions continued to grow, including a formal partnership with the University of Alicante established in November 2017. The primary aim of this alliance is to advance research, dissemination, and education within gastronomy and Mediterranean culinary culture, reinforcing the link between education, innovation, and regional gastronomy.