An Inditex employee shows the contents of their Christmas basket: a gift given to staff
The Christmas season in Spain is steeped in tradition, and 2022 was no exception. Festive hampers linger in households, packed with the most popular and classic items that appear on the Spanish Christmas table during lunches and dinners. You’ll find classic baskets featuring ham, sausages, paté, nougat, wine, and desserts, but there are also more authentic takes with vegan products, chocolates, and teas. One notable example is a basket once gifted by Amancio Ortega to Inditex employees.
Within this tradition, a standout treat is a distinctly Galician chocolate creation from Costiña Chocolat, crafted by Chef Manuel Costiña. The chocolates are marketed through the Costaña Chocolat brand, produced by Chef Manuel García, who runs the Galician restaurant Retiro da Costiña. The chocolates reach nearly 300 gourmet shops across Spain and are offered by a dedicated team that handcrafts each piece. On busy days, more than 20,000 chocolates roll from the workshop, stored in a substantial 4,000-square-foot refrigeration space. The operation produces around 300,000 chocolates every year, and many of them vanish from shelves within hours of hitting the displays.
In the spirit of shared gifts, the Inditex employee who opened the basket highlighted the fine assortment and the personal touch. The story of these chocolates is not just about taste but about how a small Galician kitchen can become a symbol of generosity and regional pride in a global corporate context.
Cocoa with honey provides a gateway to Manuel García’s portfolio, with roots tracing back to Saint Dominic and the island of Sao Tomé in Africa, where the chocolate’s four distinct types find their inspiration. The range includes:
- White Rib: A pure white chocolate with vanilla-scented notes and delicate petals that mingle with West African vanilla, yielding a creamy aroma and sweetness.
- Kostina Lait: A 38% milk chocolate couverture that balances caramel tones with a touch of sea salt.
- Kostina Blonde: A pale, amber-hued chocolate that reveals rich notes of biscuits and butter, enhanced by a subtle toasty finish.
- Kostina Noir: A dark chocolate from Ivory Coast, offering a precise balance of cocoa acidity and bitterness with floral hints.
Each day, a team of twelve Manuel García employees crafts these crisp, airy chocolate rocks. The chef emphasizes that this particular texture comes from the handcrafting process. He revealed that his own son, Martinthe, now seven years old, urged him to create a four-flavor pack after enjoying the original crunch, a story that adds a personal, almost mythic, layer to the product. The chocolates have found homes in gourmet stores across Portugal and Switzerland, and the chef notes that the family’s curiosity and taste for experimentation were key drivers of the line’s expansion. The renewed interest in this recipe underscores how a small, regional brand can carve out a niche on the international stage, delivering a product that evokes both tradition and modern confectionery artistry.
What makes this story compelling is not merely the taste but the way a family-operated workshop can push the boundaries of a holiday gift. The rocks’ texture, the careful balance of flavors, and the personal anecdotes behind the four-flavor packs turn a simple treat into a memorable experience. For chocolate lovers, the Costiña collection offers a rare blend of Galician craft, global reach, and a touch of family history that resonates beyond the holiday season.