Chocolate and nougat industries route

What it is

Villajoyosa has made chocolate since the 19th century. In the 18th and 19th centuries its harbour carried weight: ships left for America with cloth and cigarette paper from Alcoy and came back laden with cocoa. At first it was made by hand, in the yards of houses, as a supplement to farming, and over time more than seventy brands could be counted. Today three factories and four brands remain active. The Chocolate and Nougat Industries Route, published by Vilamuseu, links the town's visitable factories, shops and old collections in an hour, at low difficulty.

The five stops

Chocolates Valor. Valeriano López Lloret officially founded the company in 1881 and today it is run by the fifth generation. Its museum was declared the Valencian Chocolate Museum in 2008; the visit is in our entry on the Valor Chocolate Museum.

Chocolates Clavileño. Jaime López Lloret, "Jaume Martí", started the trade in the family in 1882. The Clavileño brand, with Don Quixote's flying horse as its emblem, was born in 1960 and is run by the fourth generation.

Chocolates Pérez. Gaspar Pérez Pérez founded the house in 1892, although his father was already a chocolate maker. The fourth generation keeps up the artisan production, with the Valencian Community Craftsmanship seal. It is visited by appointment: it is in the entry on the Chocolates Pérez factory and museum.

Chocolates Marcos Tonda. The family tradition begins in 1793, when Juan Tonda Lloret began making chocolate by hand; it was known by the brand "La Virgen: Biznietos de Marcos Tonda". Today it has its distribution centre in the municipality, with its own shop.

Turrones Carremi. It has made nougat since 1835, with four generations and a method that has hardly changed in almost two centuries. It uses Marcona almonds and orange-blossom honey, and produces about 150,000 kg a year; its specialities are soft stone-ground nougat and the pan de Cádiz, made by hand piece by piece.

The tourism website also mentions Toni Garsi, the most recent brand, of artisan and organic chocolate.

How to do it

The route is free and done independently; factory visits are booked and paid for separately, and the factories close on Sundays. Vilamuseu does not publish a map, starting point or distance, but each stop has its own page with a sign-language video. For the map, call in at the Tourist Info (966 851 371 or WhatsApp 609 773 978).

If you come without a car, TRAM line 1 stops in the town. Finish with a walk through the old town and the colourful houses or with the chocolate and local products at the Mercat de La Vila, open Monday to Saturday mornings.