Once you get the door of Verdú & Cantó facilities located at Novelda, your mind takes you back to your first memories of childhood… aromas… colours… feelings… sensations…

There are many myths and legends about saffron … What do you know about this “red gold”? What is saffron good for? Since its properties were discovered thousands of years ago, saffron has become one of the most expensive and appreciated spices.

The origins of this Company date back to 1890 when Mr. JOSÉ VERDÚ CANTÓ goes on his first journey to the fields of La Mancha region to select from among the crops the best batches of saffron and market them in several countries. Nowadays it is a leading company in the selection, packaging and marketing of saffron, spices and seasonings, which it markets in over 45 countries.

Their product range has extended to other spices and condiments such as paprika, blends of spices or salts in grinders and botanical cocktail ingredients, developing of a broad range of innovative presentations adapted to the needs of the consumer, building renowned and prestigious brands as POTE, ZAFFERANIA, TOQUE and SYREN.

This family-owned company has pioneered the strictest analytical controls starting with the arrival of the prime material, obtained from the best batches of saffron straight from the farmers, up to the final product. To this end, all development procedures are aimed at obtaining results that improve the quality of every single product, maintaining its quality and purity guarantees.

POTE brand has been part of home cooking for generations but was born in difficult times, after the Spanish Civil War. Its excellent value for money has been the key to filling so many dishes with color, aroma and flavour. A brand that has passed a life-time of Spanish generations. It was the first ground saffron in the market and it is the secret that fills the homemade recipes of much of our cuisine with color and flavor.

Hand-picked in the various fields which account for most of the region ́s scenery, ZAFFERANIA ́S saffron can boast an appellation of origin protected by La Mancha ́s saffron ruling Council. A certification which guarantees its origin as well as its penetrating aroma besides its delicious taste and the unmistakable color of each filament. These precious filaments have always been historically considered to be the best saffron in the world.

SYREN is their leading brand in the Arab market, also present in much of the world. It is a real guarantee of quality and compliance with the strictest Verdú & Cantó standards. The Syren production is selected from the best crops, with its characteristic strand size, floral and scent. The Syren range also includes different products made with saffron such as almonds, tea or honey.

With TOQUE, under the slogan “LIFE with a SPECIAL TOUCH,” they believe it is possible to convert a boring dinner into an exotic dinner, between a simple drink and a creative cocktail, between routine and adventure, and that you can travel without leaving the table. Because Toque is the small details that change it all. Their grinders allow the consumer to regulate the size of the input to your liking. In this way you get the freshly ground spice size you are looking for with its aroma. Verdú & Cantó have a selected range of ethnic flavours, from Thailand to the Caribbean, with stops in India, Morocco, and Italy that add a dash of intense International flavour to your dishes.

TOQUE Botanicals for Mixology is their firm commitment to the barmans trade, a decision that has a lot to do with the philosophy of their brand Toque, the search for top quality ingredients and the development of innovative products for both domestic and professional use are part of their strategy to implant the love for creative cocktails in both National and International markets. It is a collection which is designed to be directly added to your mixed drinks, without the need for any unnecessary preparation of the herbs, thus ensuring a clean, safe and identifiable end result.

Verdú and Cantó have signed with Pepe Orts to create a collection of botanicals for catering and to advise the new creative mixologists that join their community, he is the prestigious specialist barman known for investigating different botanicals and their use in cocktails. If anyone knows how to give a special touch to the drinks it is certainly him.

Few chefs can count on a Michelin star and possibly none of them know as much about saffron as this chef and entrepreneur. Referred to by The New York Times as “The Saffron Queen” María José San Román is the best ambassador for their saffron throughout the world. With her, they study new culinary applications to create both traditional and innovative recipes to claim the value of saffron. We went to her restaurant “Monastrell” for lunch, where she showed us the different ways to use the saffron in all her dishes.