We are one of the most experienced companies in growing tiger nuts, our beginnings date back to 1946. Since then, we have continued investing all our efforts in maintaining quality, respecting tradition and innovate along the whole process of growing and commercialising tiger nuts. Yet, even over the course of 3 generations we remain a family business.
1946
Chufas Bou was born in 1946 from the will, enthusiasm and determination of José María Bou Casares, who would become what we now call an entrepreneur. Mr Bou instead of directly selling his fresh tiger nuts in the market as other farmers would do, he decided to harvest his crop and dry it during the winter. Through very careful and hard work, he slowly dried the tiger nuts, developing their taste and producing a top quality ingredient, opening a range of new possibilities.
To market his product, José María Bou travelled to Barcelona on a freight train. He was carrying 100 kg of tiger nuts in two bags on which he ended up sleeping in Las Ramblas (a city neighbourhood). Accidentally, the next day he met a friend of Alboraya, who introduced him to the owner of a market stall where the horchata artisans came to buy tiger nuts. Delighted with the quality of the product, he bought the entire batch and began placing orders. Soon the word spread out and other artisan horchata makers started buying from him too. This is how Chufas Bou’s success story began and in fact, many of these horchata shops continue to be our customers today.
1964
The sisters of José María: Encarna and Julieta, opened La Chufera – an horchata and ice cream shop in Alboraya. Soon it became famous for its quality horchata and many Spanish artists came to taste it, such as El Dúo Dinámico, Salomé and Nino Bravo. Three years later, they decided to transfer the store owning because they did not have enough time to help their brother with the main tiger nut business.
1980
During the eighties, the second generation of the Bou family became part of the business. Jose María Jr. worked side by side with his father to know first hand all the secrets of the process of curing and selecting tiger nuts.
As time passed, tiger nuts became more known outside Spain and this is how Jose María started exporting tiger nuts to other countries in the world, expanding the portfolio of customers and growing the company.
1999
The growth of the business and the increasing costs of having the warehouse in Alboraya led the company to move to Puzol, to new and modern facilities constructed specifically for processing, curing, selecting and storing tiger nuts.
These factors allowed him to incorporate new technologies into the company’s own craft processes. The new facilities allowed not only to supply the local horchata masters, but also to supply the new industries that arose in the sector of large-scale horchata production.
2012
Currently, it is the family’s third generation who is responsible for this family business, continuing with the same philosophy and hard work mentality. Thanks to this, the Chufas Bou product continues to be a synonym of quality and prestige backed by its long history and the loyalty of its customers.
This generational change prompted a shift towards sustainability and ecology, converting their family fields to organic farming. From this moment, the company began with the distribution of a new line of food products made from organic tiger nuts.
2013
In 2013, the company opened L’Obrador de Bou, an organic artisanal horchata and ice cream shop, as a flagship store acting as a storefront for the brand. The open view workshop allows customers to see the production of organic horchata. In addition, it serves the business as an innovation point, allowing to experiment and create new recipes with their organic Valencian tiger nut and receive direct customer feedback. Customers can enjoy ice cream made from horchata, confectionery made with tiger nut flour as well as sweet or salty tiger nut pancakes.
With the company’s 75th anniversary coming soon, the business is at the top of its game, continuously implementing improvements to its facilities and production lines, innovating but staying true to its heritage and upgrading to today’s most demanding food quality standards and requirements.
