In the convent of Belorado (Burgos), the alarm goes off at 7.15 am.
At 7.45 am the Poor Clare nuns celebrate the office of readings.
Afterwards, they spend some time in personal prayer and the Eucharist.
In high seasons like Christmas they even readjust prayer times.
At 10.15 they have breakfast and then their working day begins.
The
14 sisters who live here
- the youngest has turned 27 and the oldest 98 years old - have become a benchmark for their bakery and the chocolates -mainly their irresistible truffles- that come from it.
The story begins 22 years ago, when the convent was going to close due to the advanced age of the tenants who lived in it.
"Then three young sisters from Lerma arrived with the idea of reinforcing and giving life to the place," explains Sister Sión, 35, in charge of sales and orders.
The first thing they had to do was find a way "to live: they started making dolls, then socks ...
", but the numbers didn't give.
One of the sisters who had come to Belorado had worked in the Lerma workshop and in this way they looked for new ways of financing.
"We didn't want to compete with it either. We had to offer something that they didn't do there."
And they focused on chocolate.
All the sisters help out in the workshop.
"We thought that by specializing we would have our space," says Sor Sión.
They have turned 20 years old and the business is going great.
"In the Christmas season we sell 1,200 kilos of truffles only."
Orders arrive by phone, via 'e-mail' and through the online store;
they are also in many gourmet stores.
"Our secret is simple. A good raw material and a lot of craftsmanship.
For us it is not a job, it is a way of life. And we put all our hearts into it
."
Good suppliers
They work only with the exclusive French house Valrhona, from which they order
four tons of chocolate
per year
.
They knew from the beginning that they had to learn about the trade, and that meant listening to the best in the business.
"Paco Torreblanca and Javier Guillén have not helped and advised much in these years," says Sister Sión, one of the sisters - along with Sister Myriam and Sister Israel - who attended the last Madrid Fusión event in January 2020 to participate in the workshop 'The religious workshop'.
It was the second time they had come in person and they became the queens of the party, surrounded by the best chefs on the national and international scene.
"We learned a lot".
"The first we were there was in 2016. Between one appointment and another, we sent our products with the Burgos Alimenta brand," recalls the sister.
It cost him his to convince them;
they refused in band until the mayor of the town interceded
.
"We had been doing our job well for many years. We didn't fully understand the interest."
The Poor Clares of Belorado only abandon the closure "for just cause", be it a doctor, shopping or some training topic.
His life passes mainly between the walls of the convent, which was built in the 14th century, and many hours of the day inside the workshop.
Now, in addition to their truffles -they have created one with cava for these dates-, rocks and chocolates, they have launched to expand the market with the world without sugar and without gluten.
"
With chocolate you can always do and learn new things
."
Sin here tastes different.
The convent's workshop.
Box of assorted truffles, 30 euros (500 gr) / Assorted rocks, 22 euros (400 gr) / Box of lemon and orange sticks, 12.50 euros (200 gr)
Their chocolates are in the best gourmet stores.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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