Familia Marí Mayans
With over 145 years of history behind them, Familia Marí Mayans’s spirit is more youthful than ever. Having won the prestigious Alimentos de España (Foods of Spain) 2025 Award, the company has proven that the secret to eternal youth tastes like Frígola® and smells like the Ibizan countryside. The brand is now conquering Japan, breaking the mould with their highly anticipated 0% line, whilst reinforcing their commitment to sustainability without losing their Mediterranean essence.
Last year you talked about your dream of continuing to promote the countryside. What is the current status of that project?
We continue to work on it with a lot of enthusiasm as well as a sense of caution. The Sant Miquel de Balansat area where we are based is our cornerstone. There, we cultivate a large part of our aromatics and we want to carry on restoring that agricultural landscape, through agreements with farmers. We transform all that the countryside gives us into liqueurs, herbal teas, and products produced entirely in our distillery.
Hierbas Ibicencas by Familia Marí Mayans won the Alimentos de España 2025 award for the Best Spirit Drink. What did you celebrate with?
With some Hierbas Ibicencas by Marí Mayans and with some Frígola ®, of course! It was a very emotional and powerful moment. Aside from the award itself, the first thing that came to mind was all the people who have been part of this story. We feel like this isn’t just recognition for us, but a well-deserved tribute to Ibiza and to the excellent work that has been done here over generations.
What doors is the award opening for you?
The award is very prestigious, and you can really sense that. The recognition from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food instils instant trust. It also strengthens our positioning in the Iberian Peninsula. Sometimes it can feel like there’s a lot of Ibiza branding out there, but not all the products branded in this way are actually made here. We have been distilling and bottling Ibiza and Formentera for 146 years.
You are also prophets in your own land: winners of the Horeca award and the Ibiza and Formentera Culinary Academy award...
These prizes are particularly exciting because they are from the local area. It’s one thing to be recognised in other places, but it’s something else altogether to feel the respect of the island itself. It’s really moving. We also believe that the culinary scene in Ibiza and Formentera are going through a fascinating period that is closely tied to local produce.
Let’s talk about Marí Mayans 0%. How do you bottle the essence of the Mediterranean without a single drop of alcohol?
With a lot of hard work. It has taken us over two years of testing to find something that made sense to us. We work with aromatic notes that are really our own: thyme, citrus, chamomile… Ingredients tied to the Ibizan land and our traditional recipes. The non-alcoholic drinks market is gaining ground, especially in fine dining and cocktails.
The Hierbas Ibicencas by Familia Marí Mayans experience in Japan is amazing, because they really value attention to detail and the origin of things
Sustainability is today a trending topic, but the land has been in your blood since the nineteenth century. How are you working to protect it?
We depend directly on the land. We work with farmers and still harvest a lot of plants by hand. We also plan to generate 100 per cent of our energy through solar panels and to implement a zero-waste water system in all production processes.
With the climate changing at a dizzying pace, is it a challenge to maintain the same quality as 100 years ago?
Definitely. The climate and the island itself have changed a great deal. It is increasingly difficult to maintain consistent quality when it comes to natural produce, and that is where the value of artisanal production lies. There are faster, more industrial methods, but that is not who we are.
Your gourmet AnaCLeta salt range and IBIZEN herbal tea range are growing, and you’ve also had great success in Japan this year with your Hierbas Ibicencas by Familia Marí Mayans range. Would you say you are the leading international ambassadors for the Ibiza brand?
Our ancestors crafted incredible liqueurs; we try to adapt them to the current market. We’re interested in anything that resonates with who we are, allowing us to build a cohesive identity. What’s happening in Japan is an amazing experience, because they really value attention to detail and the origin of things, which really resonates with us.
Finally, if the brand’s future were one single flavour, which one would it be?
It would probably be thyme-flavoured. It’s a very humble, Mediterranean plant, and very much our own. It grows among the rocks, battered by the winds, in harsh conditions, yet it has incredible character. It’s quite similar to Ibiza, and also a bit like us.
