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It would take at least ten pages to tell the story of the family behind one of Toledo's emblems: the Santo Tomé confectionery.
Its marzipans have crossed borders, so much so that in the 50s they arrived in Polynesia.
Santo Tomé is the Mecca of marzipan in the province and this is endorsed by the numerous awards
and recognitions that have been awarded.
Although it is a product that does not have a designation of origin, such as wine, it does have a PGI (Protected Geographical Identification).
Politicians, businessmen, soccer players, Nobel Prize winners and personalities of all kinds have succumbed to the delights of this famous workshop.
Even Luis Buñuel noticed him for his film
Tristana,
where the protagonist asked for a brown glacé from Paco, the manager of the house at that time.
The first lines of the history of São Tomé were written in the 19th century, in 1856, and since then his workshop has not stopped working.
He only stopped during the confinement and did not stop during the Civil War.
In 2022 it is already the seventh generation of the De Mesa family that is in charge of the business.
Specifically, LOC speaks with Ana de Mesa Gárate (42) who tries to summarize her family history: "My grandmother, Ángela Ruiz Caballero, took charge of the confectionery between 1952 and 1979. She is the one who comes up
with give the name of Santo Tomé
to the confectionery because of the location of the workshop, asking permission from the church that is next door and that also has the same name," he explains.
Ana de Mesa's grandmother had three children but none of them wanted to dedicate themselves completely to the family business.
It is then that she decides to offer her daughter-in-law, the wife of her youngest son, the position of manager.
"My grandmother fully trusts my mother, Inés Gárate María, that
she will keep the CEO position until she retires in 2019."
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Currently there are three members of his family involved 100% in Sao Tome.
One of these people is herself, Ana de Mesa, and two of her cousins.
Jerónimo de Mesa Buigues is one of them, the one in charge of taking over from his aunt in the CEO position.
"
They offered me the generational change but I thought that working hand in hand with my mother would be explosive.
I prioritized the good relationship I have with my parents and dedicated myself to my field, archaeology, until my cousin called me and convinced me to form a tandem. I studied at Le Cordon Bleu and I've been in Sao Tome for six years now. The title they've given me is production manager. The reality is that I'm in the workshop, in the stores, I manage social networks. .. I do a little bit of everything."
The product that comes out of the Santo Tomé workshop is 100% artisan.
"We make 40 tons of marzipan a year alone, 20 of them at Christmas time.
Our formula is 57% almond, 40% white sugar and the remaining 3% honey."
They are so famous in the province that they even dared to break a Guinness record once.
"We made the largest marzipan sculpture in the world.
It was in 2016 on the occasion of the fourth centenary of the death of Cervantes. A sculpture of Don Quixote was made: 400 hours of work and 600 kilos of marzipan. We have it on display in the establishment of Sao Tome".
They have four establishments, one of them dedicated to the consumption of their gluten-free products and the flagship of the generation that is now in charge.
They have 54 permanent workers, a figure that doubles in the Christmas season.
Its raison d'être is direct sales to the customer, not wholesale or department stores.
They have specialized in crafts
and that has led them to have an annual turnover of three million euros.
Despite the fact that they already have established fame and are very well positioned, Ana highlights what she believes sets them apart.
"The greatest prize we have is the human team that is part of the house.
The average duration in this sector is between 2 and 5 years of seniority. Ours is 25 years.
There are people who enter at 16 and retire with Right now there are fourth generations of families working in São Tomé. When it comes to calling people for the Christmas campaign, relatives of the workers come: the cousin, the daughter's boyfriend, etc. That makes us very proud and It gives a sign that we will do something right. We will also make mistakes as humans that we are".
Ana de Mesa also points out to this supplement that, if anyone is encouraged, the members of the eighth generation could take the reins of the business "as long as they meet the requirements."
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