The Generalitat awarded its 2023 high honours for merit on Monday, 9 October, Valencian Community Day. The Carmencita company was recognised for its Entrepreneurial and Social merit. This honour from the autonomous community recognises Carmencita’s history, consolidated as a leader in the production of spices and condiments, which this year celebrates its centennial.

Jesús Navarro Navarro, Jesús Navarro Alberola and Paco Escolano, members and pillars of the company, went to Valencia last Monday to receive the Entrepreneurial and Social merit honours. The president of Carmencita and son of the little girl who became the image of the brand, Jesús Navarro Navarro, thanked the Generalitat for such a valuable award and, moved, commented, “There are people for whom 100 years is nothing, but for us they are hundreds of families that helped us become the company we are. Today, Carmencita, the little girl with the Cordoban hat, has stopped being my mother in order to become a brand that remains in the heart of consumers”.

Carmencita, with a century of history in the world of spices, continues leading the culinary industry, offering new ways of raising creativity and quality to exceptional levels and being present in more than 60 countries on the 5 continents. In addition, this year it has relaunched an innovative product which highlights its commitment to innovation by providing a solution to an unfulfilled need. This is the case of the multivitamin fizzy drink Mano de Santo, the company’s latest commitment to research and development on products that make people’s lives better.

Mano de Sano distinguishes itself as a healthy alternative to conventional energy drinks given that it does not contain caffeine, taurine or sugar. Its unique multivitamin formula offers a refreshing option that counteracts hangovers and restores energy after intense physical exertion, like sports or work, although it is not only right for those cases. It can be drunk at any time, being a healthier choice than other fizzy drinks on the market.
“We had to repay all the love that people who have purchased and cooked with Carmencita have given us during these 100 years, and what better way than by researching and developing products that improve their lives”, comments Jesús Navarro Alberola, General Director.

In addition to its culinary excellence, Carmencita works hard on its social responsibility projects. It is the driving force behind one of the leading solidarity projects in the province of Alicante, AGS (Alicante Gastronómica Solidaria) that received the 2022 Chambers Prize for social leadership awarded by the Spanish Chamber. This organisation, presided over by the general director of Carmencita, has played a crucial role for the last 3 years in distributing more than 700,000 meals among groups of the most vulnerable and unhoused people in the province of Alicante.