Yzabelle Bostyn
THESE are the two Spanish products that Oprah Winfrey has included in her 2024 ‘list of favourite things.’
TV icon Oprah Winfrey has revealed she loves Spanish crisps and olive oil in her annual favourites list.
The talk show host selected Bonilla a la Vista crisps, crafted in A Coruña, Galicia.
She described them as ‘worth the splurge’. “Fried in olive oil for a light crisp. They are delicious on their own or just as tasty with a dip,” she said.
But this is not the first time the snack company has been in the spotlight.
In 2019, the family businesses’ sales shot up 150% after their crisps appeared in Oscar winning film, Parasite.
Bonilla is based in the town of Arteixo but exports 40 tonnes of its crisps to Korea, where the film was made.
This makes it by far its biggest market outside Spain, although it does export to 20 nations.
The company, headed by Cesar Bonilla, 87, has been making crisps for almost a century and it remains a family firm with 100 employees.
The firm produces about 540 tonnes of crisps each year and USA distribution has also increased thanks to Winfrey’s endorsement.
While a 500 gram tin costs €13 in Spain, it weighs in at a costly $62.
Winfrey also selected Flor de La Jara, an extra virgin olive oil made in Castilla-La Mancha.
The premium oil uses picual olives from the Montes de Toledo and according to Winfrey ‘tastes like Spain.’
A family business, Flor de La Jara said they were ‘absolutely thrilled’ to be included in the list, calling it a ‘dream come true.’
They have been making olive oil for three generations using centuries old trees.
Co-founder Jorge Rodriguez Valera and his wife, Tiffany Cohen manage the business from their home in New York.
Winfrey’s list is elaborated over a year-long selection process during which the host personally tests each item.
