Natalia Medina was the creator of Las Glorias de Linares, the product that has put this municipality on the international map, a candy that employs farmers in the region and that reaches the home of Mexican singer and actress Thalia, in Los Angeles, California.
Glorias de Linares is the traditional candy of Nuevo Leon.
Linares, Magic Town, land of Los Cadetes de Linares, of course, land of Glorias, the regional and traditional candy of the municipality par excellence that amazes tourists who have the joy of tasting it when they turn around.
But, how much do we know about them?
Yes, we know they are delicious, but Linarense historian Miguel Contreras shares with us the history behind this candy that has been able to surpass local, national and international barriers.
Miguel can’t start the story without first clarifying something, “Linares is the sweetest city in Nuevo Leon”, alluding to the municipality’s extensive history in candy making that dates back to the 18th century.
This is how the history of the Glorias de Linares begins
It was the very founder of Linares, Don Sebastián Villegas Cumplido, who in 1703 was in charge of introducing sugar cane to the community of Linares, thus allowing the elaboration of exquisite products such as piloncillo, panela and sugar cane honey.
It was not until 1930, more than 200 years later, that the foundations that would allow Gloria to flourish would be laid, beginning with Don Milesio Perez, the creator of the first typical candy of the municipality, the marqueta.
It was this invention that started the marqueta industry, which would later be joined by names such as Gilberto Mireles, José Pedraza, Rosendo Cortez, among others.
It was this first generation of candy makers that influenced the lady who would later be in charge of making the candy we love so much…
Because yes, the creator of the Glorias recipe was a woman.
Her name was Natalia Medina, in the 30’s her candy was such a success that that is where her name comes from, from customers so satisfied that they could not help mentioning to her that her creation “tasted like glory”.
This is how Glorias came about, a product that would mark a before and after in the history of the municipality and that, for Linarenses like Miguel, is not just a simple candy,
“It is a candy that represents us, it is part of our identity and we, the people of Linares, are very committed to it, we like it and we say it proudly,” said the historian.
The glory has crossed borders not only nationally, but also internationally. Artists such as Katy Perry, who presented this candy in one of her videos, and the Mexican singer Thalia, who is known to frequently order Glorias de Linares to be sent to her home in Los Angeles.
Glorias de Linares, from the countryside to your palate
If we talk about Glorias, we cannot leave out the main ingredient in its elaboration, the goat’s milk as it is known in rural areas.
It is farmers, like Mr. Amador Guillen, who are in charge of providing this product that keeps this tradition alive.
For Amador, it all began as one, “since I was a child I liked goats, but there was no opportunity to have them,” he says reminiscently.
It was with effort and dedication that Amador managed to turn this hobby into a livelihood for him and his family, starting in 1987 with 25 goats.
Today, Amador and his brother have 180 goats that they use to produce cheese, kids and, of course, milk.
Finally so much effort paid off, but there was another obstacle.
“Linares is very small, so I couldn’t sell that much cheese,” says Amador.
This is what led him to contact Productos de Leche San Pablo, one of the most important producers of regional candies in Mexico.
But in Amador’s words “there are ups and downs”, referring to the difficulties he faces as a goat farmer.
“Right now the food is very expensive and is on the rise, milk has only one point and it is always the same, they don’t pay for it anymore”, he shares.
This is how this farmer became an important pillar to preserve the tradition of the Glorias in the municipality.
He comes to see his animals not only as a livelihood but also as companions in life.
“This is my job and my family’s,” he says.
San Pablo Production Company
The company Productos de Leche San Pablo has been in charge of positioning Gloria, both nationally and internationally.
It is a one hundred percent Mexican factory, processor and producer of traditional candies derived from goat’s milk based in the municipality of Linares.
The manager, the accountant Martin Lopez, tells its history, operation and the process of elaboration of this candy so characteristic of the locality.
Founded on January 15, 1973 by Francisco Villareal Rendón, the plant is currently divided into 4 buildings:
Hall 1 where the candy is produced, Hall 2 for the caramel, the laboratory for quality control and the warehouse to store the product.
With more than 200 currently active employees, the factory is capable of producing up to 7 tons of product per day.
Candies such as obleas, besos indios, palanquetas, conos de leche among others, not to mention the new products that are not yet on the market.
And how can we forget its star product, the Gloria.
The process to elaborate this candy is quite meticulous and it is not surprising, since only in this way the highest possible quality is achieved.
First the goat’s milk must be analyzed to see if it is in good condition, then it is sweetened and condensed.
Then it is left to rest and taken to refrigeration rooms; finally, it is sent to the processing area to be cooked.
There it is sectioned, walnut wallowed and individually wrapped.
This is how this emblematic factory operates, following the highest quality standards and not focusing solely on the business area.
