For a pure rice cooker, the idea of a paella that travels far from Valencia to distant kitchens may seem odd. If overcooked, the dish can lose its value, and serving Valencia’s paella in Paris or Berlin might appear impractical. Yet at Gastraval, a Valencia-based company, this concept is embraced. Their paella and rice dishes are already produced weekly in Catarroja and sold across 13 countries. According to director Mattieu Allais, the plan now includes expanding reach into North America and Asia.
Gastraval traces its origins to 1983 when the Velarte family started as a takeaway paella operation and later expanded into the convenience food sector. In 2007, the founders sold the business to Tecnofoods, a machinery company, and in 2013 PP and the Generalitat Valenciana’s Stator Management fund, led by Máximo Buch, former Economy Minister, took a majority stake. These investments have supported a gradual growth path for a company with about one hundred employees and a goal to reach a turnover of 14 million this year. The company posted a 12% increase over 2021, following a jump of 70% to 11.6 million the previous year.
Gastraval’s core focus remains rice and fideuà, with early forays into pasta and risotto taking a back seat. Allais explains that the production follows a traditional method, noting that the dishes are prepared in a fizzing paella style. The facility uses twenty containers, each one and a half meters in diameter. Mixed paella, featuring meat and fish, is among the best sellers, along with Valencian paella, arroz a banda, black rice, and simply cooked rice.
pasteurization
After cooking, the products are packed in plastic trays, pasteurized, and sold either frozen or chilled. Allais points out that this approach solves the challenge of achieving the correct cooking point while maintaining quality for distribution.
In addition to ready meals, the Valencia operation produces a foundational line for rice preparation, including broths and chips. The company distributes through large retailers and supermarkets under its own brand, as well as under distributor brands and through the Horeca channel (hotels, restaurants, and cafes). In the consumer channel, finished rice dishes are the primary product, while the bases are commonly chosen by Horeca buyers, who add vegetables, meat, or seafood to the broths to shorten preparation at the end user. The range also includes French fries intended to accompany rice or noodles.
The firm processes about 200,000 servings of paella and bases weekly. Currently, 95% of sales occur within Spain, with most activity concentrated around the Mediterranean—a reflection of local tourism and culinary heritage. Nevertheless, export activity is underway, with products available in 13 countries. The United Kingdom is the leading overseas market, followed by France and Belgium.
According to Allais, each country interprets paella in its own way, and Gastraval adapts accordingly. In France, for instance, paella recipes may include sausage and peas. In the United Kingdom, the market has shifted toward mixed paella rather than a strictly traditional recipe. Other markets favor less salt than the Spanish standard, and spicy profiles are generally not preferred.
innovation
Today, Gastraval’s research and development team concentrates on broadening paella varieties that do not require refrigeration and can be distributed in canned form. With Spanish gastronomy enjoying broad appeal, the company aims to build on this popularity by exploring international expansion targets, including China and Korea initially, with a strong emphasis on the United States and other Asian markets.
Allais also notes that growing demand has prompted considerations to expand the current facility, which covers roughly 3,000 square meters, or even to invest in a new plant to meet demand more efficiently.