Local producer ES CAPARÓ

Take a walk around the grounds of Es Caparó, in Vilafranca de Bonany (Mallorca), and it seems as though time has stood still. Everything is perfectly looked after. Animals on one side, crops on the other. The land stretches beyond the Torrent de na Borges watercourse as far as Manacor. The houses at Es Caparó have seen it all since 1380. This is where Maria Llull and her husband, Pere Nadal, work. Up until a few years ago they had never even considered the notion that these lands could become their profession. Today, they are fully dedicated to the production and sale of seasonal fruit, vegetables and livestock.

Es Caparó extends over 35 hectares. The possessió has always had the same name, and has been in the same family for five generations. For 40 years, María’s father worked tirelessly on the estate, selling the produce at Sa Pobla market. María came to live on the farm at one year of age.

When her father died, she returned to Es Caparó with her husband and her son, to be with her mother. So it is that today, she is the madona; the one in charge, and if there’s something she’s not sure about, she thinks about what her father might have done – she clearly had a good teacher.

You can see María taking the flock of sheep (more than a hundred of them) out to graze every day, with her trusty sheepdog. She prepares the feed for the animals to eat, having milled the barley they have planted and harvested using the house mill. Then she feeds the pigs. There are white and black pigs, ready for breeding. Meanwhile, Pere will probably be tending to the vegetable garden, preparing the day’s orders or getting organised to head out to sell their produce at any of the markets at Petra, Ariany, Campos or Sa Pobla. Pere worked as a plumber for 30 years, but would not change his current job for anything in the world.

At Es Caparó they are happy to sell you their produce directly. You can visit the small shop on site, or let María or Pere show you their garden, where you can choose the items you want. Is there are anything better than eating a freshly picked piece of fruit or vegetable? From garden to table – that’s their motto.