The bittersweet moments and disappointments are often intrinsic to the endeavor of starting a small business. However, there are cases that literally always turn out sweet. This is the case for Mermeladas Artesanales Elasun, a company from Huesca based in Barbastro for over two decades.
Its origin arises from a rather ordinary setting. Two women talking while their children play together in the park and engage in their extracurricular activities. Those two women were Elena Escolano and Asun Berroy. 21 years after that moment, Asun confesses that the initial idea came from Elena. She was the one who convinced her to embark on this adventure of making and selling jams as they have always been made at home. Thus, Elena and Asun founded the company and named it after themselves: Elasun.
Due to the twists of life, Elena left the company a few years ago. And then, Ángela Marcu took over as Asun’s partner. She was not a stranger to the business. Quite the opposite, as she had been working at Elasún since its beginnings, albeit as an employee. But when the time came, she stepped forward to continue with the company.
Currently, both run a well-established business with guidelines that are as simple as they are precise. They make jams and other preserved products entirely by hand and with top-notch quality. This requires sourcing high-quality fruit and then meticulously following the same production process that our grandmothers used in days gone by. That is, peeling and cleaning the fruit, cooking it very slowly, adding just the right amount of sugar and lemon as the only preservatives, and then packaging that natural jam.
This is what Asun and Ángela dedicate themselves to every day. They perform a single cooking of fruit for about two hours, and as a result, they package more than 300 jars of their jam daily. And they sell it all. It is true that from time to time demand forces them to do a second cooking and double their production, and even in very specific moments, they have managed to triple it. But generally, they prioritize quality over quantity. A principle that not only inspires their product but also applies to their working hours, dedicating only the morning to these tasks.
However, following an artisanal method does not mean that they do not develop truly modern products and flavors. To date, their catalog of jams includes 25 varieties, and this Christmas, a new label will be added: the chestnut jam. Thus, their selection features traditional flavors and textures like apricot, strawberry, or peach jams (including the peach from Bajo Aragón) alongside others whose names are a temptation for the most indulgent palates. There are jams like quince with coffee, pumpkin, forest fruits, and also wine from Somontano, which is logical considering they are in Barbastro.
Over the years, they have expanded the types of products they offer. Alongside their jams, they have added preserves, especially local products such as sweet peppers or the pink tomato from Barbastro. They have also ventured into making gelées. This is a type of jelly made from violets or rose petals, with enticing flavors like that of a good gin and tonic or a glass of cava.
With this extensive catalog, Mermeladas Artesanales Elasun currently sells throughout Spain via the internet. A channel through which they are gradually reaching abroad, already making sales in European countries and the United States. Additionally, this small company from Huesca has caught the attention of hospitality distributors, for whom they make exclusive packaging.
However, the most common packaging for the jams and gelées is the 350-gram format. They can currently be found in Altoaragón supermarkets and also in Alcampo. Moreover, it is a regular product on the shelves of delicatessen stores in the province of Huesca and Zaragoza.
