Our story since 1914

This story began more than a hundred years ago, in 1914, when our great-grandmother Isabel made bread in her wood-fired oven for her husband and their children in the province of Burgos (province of northern Spain). At that time they ran a small shop where they sold fabric and food. The village grew considerably due to works being carried out nearby with workers from other places. And what began as making bread for her family ended up as the business's main activity, to supply the new neighbours with bread, using all her know-how, effort and dedication.

One of her daughters, Digna, along with her husband, our grandfather Epifanio, took over the bakery and they began to make their living kneading bread at Venta de Orbaneja, a beautiful place in the north of Burgos, making and distributing bread to the nearby villages in the area with the help of their 7 children, who lent them a hand.

Postwar years

They were difficult times, when there were widespread shortages. At that time, people paid for bread for the whole year in bushels in the months of July and August, when they harvested wheat and barley, so they could make bread throughout the winter.

Early sixties

Before moving permanently to Santander, they established themselves at San Roque de Riomiera, an important farming area. There, our grandparents rented a bakery and began selling bread to the farmers in the area. The whole family committed wholeheartedly to the sacrifice it entailed, making the bakery practically their home.

Santander, 1964

With the savings they managed to put aside over a long time, Epifanio and Digna decided to take over a bakery that was being transferred in the city of Santander, Cantabria (province of the northen Spain), a larger place that offered the couple and their children more opportunities.  The bakery also offered a delivery service to private homes, other shops and bakeries, which had a great impact.

Repostería Martínez, 70's

With all the experience accumulated over the years and the great vision of the members of the family, they created in Cantabria REPOSTERÍA MARTÍNEZ, a pastries production and distribution company, which, with great effort and over years achieved a leading position in the sector, offering a brand, quality, service and innovation. It was time to bet on new markets and new projects.

PANUSA, 80's

One part of the family took charge of PANUSA, a company founded in 1969 by the merger of several breadmaking companies, and ran it throughout these years until it was a leading company in Cantabria and among the first Spanish companies in the sector with 2 production centres in the region of Cantabria.

During the year 2000, PANSTAR Group.
The revolution of the frozen doughs.

Part of the Martínez family, through the PANSTAR Group, purchased 100% of the shares in the company NUDESPA, later known as PANAMAR, which was among the first to use cold technology due to its multiple advantages. Indeed, frozen doughs revolutionised the concept of selling freshly-baked bread and pastries. They gradually extended their presence with new factories in the Region of Valencia (COBOPA), Girona (PACFREN) and the Region of Madrid (PAN-VI), and more recently with PALPAN (Palencia) and HORNO DE PEDRO (Alberic - Valencia), all equipped with the most advanced technology in the sector to reproduce as far as possible the artisanal production methods used in our early days. In short, the eminently entrepreneurial nature of the family, the investment in resources, as well as the commitment to people, quality and innovation have made it possible for the Group to consolidate its position in the market and to have become one of the leading companies in the frozen dough sector in our country and in Europe. 

The consolidation of a large group

This is the story of our family and its relationship with bread, and how love for this food has been passed down from generation to generation, the same love as our great-grandmother Isabel felt when she made bread to feed her children and neighbours in Villanueva de Ramplay in 1914, until it became what we are today.

Currently, and as in all good stories, our paths have met again, with the founding of PANAMAR BAKERY GROUP, so that we can continue to offer the best of ourselves, and with the conviction that our great-grandmother Isabel would be happy that we continue her legacy humbly, honestly, and showing sacrifice and, of course, commitment with those who deserve it most: our customers and all the workers who are or have been part of this great family.

Thank you, everyone.

Martínez family.

PANAMAR BAKERY GROUP