History
Eugenio Fontaneda y Millán, a confectioner of Burgos who learned the job in Reinosa, began his activity in Aguilar de Campoo in 1881, making biscuits, cookies and chocolates in an artisan way.[8] Around 1920, he acquired a warehouse on the site of his historic factory, where he began to industrially produce the popular "galleta María", acquiring new technology in Switzerland and Germany.[9] His son, Rafael Fontaneda e Ibáñez, would be responsible of this modernisation and the final take-off of the brand, assuming such responsibility upon the death of his father in 1921.[10][11] He began chain production on March 25, 1923, under the name "Manufactura nacional de galletas, chocolates y bizcochos Hijo de E. Fontaneda". It hired renowned Catalan and Basque biscuit masters to expand its range of die-cut biscuits, and in 1927 Fontaneda already dominated the marie biscuit market in Spain. In 1933, it had tripled the production capacity of its factory. For a time, the name of the biscuit was attributed in Spain to that of Eugenio Fontaneda's granddaughter and Rafael's daughter, but the most likely origins lie with Maria Aleksandrovna of Russia, in honor of her wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh in London, in 1874.[12][13]
María's sales in the Santander, Castilian and Basque markets grew exceptionally: in 1936, the factory had five ovens, although its progression was stalled by the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. In the difficult 1940s, Fontaneda managed to overcome the fragile situation thanks to the entrepreneurship of Rafael Fontaneda, who managed to minimise the problems of raw material supplies. His company was greatly favored by the quota policy established by Francisco Franco, and also by legislation that favoured manufacturers who had their own sugar beet and sugar cane plantations, which Fontaneda produced in its extensive properties in Jérez de la Frontera. In the 1950s, Fontaneda had become already in the main biscuit company in the country.
In 1952, Rafael Fontaneda undertook the modernisation of his machinery, at an expense of some 10 million peseta. His good relationship with the Francoist regime allowed him a trip to the United States, subsidized by the National Commission of Industrial Productivity, to learn about the latest technical advances in the biscuit industry. Under the popularity of Fontaneda, other biscuit factories took off in Aguilar de Campoo, such as Galletas Gullón (founded in 1892) and Galletas Fontibre, founded in 1948.[5] In 1958, part of the factory was destroyed by a fire, which forced its owner to make another important disbursement. The factory, located in the heart of the town of Aguilarense, was already a symbol of Fontaneda, and thanks to its expansion, it employed a large part of the population of Aguilar de Campoo.
The third family generation, with Eugenio Fontaneda y Pérez (grandson) at the helm, was involved in the development of the town, and in 1967, he was made president of the Center for Initiatives and Tourism in Aguilar de Campoo.[14] His father, Rafael, died in 1976.
