Pastes Sanmartí

Pasta makers since 1700 The Sanmartí family has a historic past dating back to the 18th century. In 1700, Isidre Sanmartí was the first to experiment with the process of transforming wheat into flour and mixing it with hot water. The result was a dough that, when properly prepared, was suitable for immediate consumption. The problem was that it did not keep for very long, as it became rigid within a few hours. The Sanmartí family therefore began working with the dough’s shape and texture, inventing a wooden device with outlet holes through which, by pressing very hard, the dough emerged in the form of thin strands, what we now know as tagliatelle or spaghetti. When these strands were properly dried, they had a very long shelf life, since once dry the pasta could be stored and later placed in hot water and boiled, softening it and making it ready to eat. This was how the SANMARTÍ pasta makers of Caldes de Montbui were born. The following generations were Carles Sanmartí i Caselles (the second) and Josep Sanmartí i Castellà (the third). The fourth generation of the Sanmartí family began in 1855, when Jaume Sanmartí i Farreras was officially recorded in the town hall registers as a manufacturer of soup pasta. Josep Sanmartí i Cladelles was the fifth generation. By the sixth generation, however, the family had realized that pasta had a very promising commercial future. Jaume Sanmartí i Samsó "l'Avi" began a new phase of expansion, which his son Josep Sanmartí i Casabayó, together with his wife, who took over the business after being widowed, gave the necessary momentum by incorporating the latest technology of the time, as well as the facilities required to make the company, between 1940 and 1975, competitive for that period. From August 1998, Eulàlia Rifé i Catafau, widow of Josep Sanmartí i Casabayó, left the business in the hands of her son Carles Sanmartí i Rifé, who continued the family’s traditional approach while incorporating new machinery and technology to make the business profitable, without forgetting the artisanal and highly demanding process of production and drying. A whole history now spanning nine generations, and one we are proud to share with them in our Made in Spain Gourmet family. Their pastas are excellent, and with them we will win over the international market.