Local producer ES GARROVER DE MALLORCA

In Mallorca, carob has traditionally been used as animal feed. Later, with agriculture in decline, carob pods would simply fall the ground, as there was no one to pick them. Until Johannis came along, that is: a range of carob-based products developed by Es Garrover de Mallorca. “Products made with love”, as they like to say, containing natural ingredients, and which are a delight to the senses, as well as being 100% vegan, natural and organic.

Joan Martín was growing carob trees as far back as the 1950s. Three generations later, his granddaughter, Juana Verger, has shaken up the family business, Es Garrover de Mallorca, located in Llucmajor, with products made from organic carob ingredients.

Juana’s inspiration came from a trip to Peru. Upon her return, she worked on creating a brand that would encompass the family tradition and the new carob products she had in mind. Three years later, she left her job as a bank manager to focus on Es Garrover de Mallorca.

All the ingredients used are completely natural. The company makes carob dust, cream, syrup, rubber, sauce, chopped carob and even carob infusions. “We’re expanding bit by bit,” says Juana Verger, who explains that one of their key objectives is to keep innovating their range of products.

At Es Garrover de Mallorca there is a strong commitment to sustainable farming, both in the production process, which is all done on site, and in how their resources are managed. For Juana, the values of the family business are key: care for the countryside, support the island’s farmers, create organic and sustainable products, and promote the social integration of groups with special needs. By way of an example, the company collaborates with the S’Estel de Sóller occupational centre.

Juana Verger came up with the name Johannis for her products: “The name comes from the German for carob tree, Johannisbrautbaum,” she explains. And a great many of the customers who buy her organic carob products happen to be German. “What I most like about the name Johannis is that it’s similar both to my name and to my grandfather’s name” – Joan and Juana.

If you’d like to try any Johannis products, pay Es Garrover de Mallorca a visit. They’ll also explain the local carob varieties that they use and show you their production process. Be sure to contact them first to arrange your visit. Johannis can also be found in herbalist shops and shopping centres.