La Menorquina invests 15 million in production
The new line will produce 30,000 ice creams per hour
The firm exports to 40 countries and billed 131 million
The ice cream manufacturer La Menorquina will invest 15 million euros in a new production line at its plant in Palau-solità i Plegamans. The facility, which will become operational by the end of 2026, will increase annual capacity from 30 to 40 million units and create 150 jobs.
The new line will produce 30,000 ice creams per hour
Barcelona, 16/02/26
The investment will involve expanding the production area by 1,100 square meters and moving the warehouse to an adjacent building. The main innovation of the new line will be its versatility: it will allow the manufacturing of different product categories—chocolate-coated sticks, swirls, and sandwiches—within the same production line, with a capacity of 30,000 ice creams per hour.
With this addition, La Menorquina will have around twenty production lines at the Catalan factory. The company’s CEO, Iván Leal, ensures that the opening will allow for a “qualitative leap” and improve the efficiency of production processes while maintaining the “artisan spirit” and the “small and local” character of the manufacturer. The announcement took place during the visit of the Minister of Business and Labor of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Miquel Sàmper, and the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu.
The firm exports to 40 countries and billed 131 million
La Menorquina is currently in a full phase of international expansion, exporting more than a third of its sales to nearly 40 countries. The United States, United Kingdom, France, and Portugal are its main markets. “The ice creams we produce here are consumed in Spain, America, Asia, and the Middle East,” noted Leal, who also highlighted the use of local raw materials: fruit from Andalusia and almonds from the Balearic Islands.
The financial results support the investment. The company billed 131 million euros in 2025, consolidating sustained growth since 2019, when it reached 57 million. After the decline in 2020 (42 million), the recovery has been constant: 58 million in 2021, 84 million in 2022, 105 million in 2023, and 119 million in 2024. Looking ahead to 2026, La Menorquina expects to grow at “double digits.”
Currently, the workforce reaches 750 employees, of whom more than 500 carry out their activity at the Catalan plant. Minister Hereu highlighted the initiative as an example of the “triumph of the local over the global” and stressed that “the future of Europe, Spain, and Catalonia depends on our ability to boost industry.” Leal recalled the legacy of founder Fernando Sintes and his values of “quality, innovation, proximity, and respect for the environment.”.
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