The markets of Sant Antoni

ant Antoni is a holiday destination that boasts a huge range of attractions. Some are obvious at first sight, such as the natural surroundings and beautiful beaches, or the entertainment and tourist activities on offer. However, there is more going on there too, albeit with a lower profile and as a result these options may come as a surprise to visitors. The municipal district’s four markets come under this category, and they are located in completely different environments. These are places where you can discover artisanal and beautifully crafted goods and products of all kinds, produced locally or at kilometre zero.

Mercado payés de Sant Antoni 

The farmer’s market in Sant Antoni is in the centre of the town at the corner of Madrid and Vara de Rey streets. The smallest of the area’s four markets, only four local producers set out their stalls here. However, the scant number of stalls is more than adequately made up for in quality as there you will find excellent produce from the local market gardens which is eagerly sought after both on the island and beyond its shores. Oranges, potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, apricots, eggs, watermelons and other varieties of melon, and grapes, all part of a long list that also includes homemade preserves. Make sure you visit.

Mercat de Sa Cooperativa

2020 saw a new market open in Sant Antoni, the Mercat de Sa Cooperativa. As its name indicates, this initiative was set up by the Sant Antoni Agricultural Cooperative to bring farmers and local producers together with residents and visitors to sell their produce. The market takes place weekly every Friday from 9 am to 2 pm in front of the cooperative premises at the start of the Cami de Sa Vorera. There you will find a huge range of local farm produce, both kilometre zero and organic, along with products that are prepared and produced on the island. This is just one of the cooperative’s many initiatives, an organisation whose 1500 or so members have been providing support to the farming and stock rearing industry since 1951, promoting efficiency, quality and best practices in the municipality’s primary sector.

Mercat de Forada

Every Saturday, at a crossroads in the heart of the countryside you will come across the Forada market. This area of the municipal district is the furthest inland, and this fun and interesting market has become a meeting place and an opportunity for socialising and entertainment when agricultural producers and craftsmen meet up in a lively and pleasant atmosphere. Local produce is the main attraction with fresh fruit and vegetables from the market gardens, however there are also preserved and canned goods on sale, such as oil, honey, jams, wine and nuts. Some stalls also sell crafts and organic beauty products as well as handmade decorative items. The market’s alternative vibe is further enhanced by musical performances and street theatre. This is another weekly market, held every Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm at the Forada crossroads (Busscatell) and the Corona road.

Muestra Artesanal de Sant Rafel

At another crossroads in the centre of the island you will find the Sant Rafel Craft Market. It takes its name from its host village and provides an excellent opportunity to browse the charming and fascinating crafts on offer, ranging from the most traditional espardenyes, senallons, cistellons, the island’s typical garments etc. to more ground-breaking and innovative items, in particular ceramics. In fact, Sant Rafel has been declared an area of cultural and artisanal interest thanks to the efforts of a number of master ceramicists and potters who have set high standards with their unique pieces often inspired by the island’s Carthaginian past, and their work and recognition has spread beyond borders. Kinoto, Carlos Icardi and Miguel Angel Ratto are just a few of the famous names that have made their mark on the island’s history of crafts. Some of these artisans’ workshops can be found in the main street of the town making it easy for the public to visit them. The market is open during the summer from mid-June to the end of September, every Thursday from 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm. In order to facilitate easy access and parking, the event is held in the Sant Rafel Social Centre carpark.

The Sant Antoni markets are an ideal way to discover the extraordinary quality of the local zero-kilometre produce at first hand. From typical market garden products such as the magnificent Ibizan red potato, watermelon, all kinds of vegetables and traditional varieties – many of which are being recovered thanks to the determined efforts of local producers and ongoing innovations in the sector- to a seemingly endless list of seasonal fruits that provide colour and flavour to the Mediterranean diet.

Fincas ecológicas 

Sustainability and product quality go hand in hand in the various organic farms that you will also find in the Sant Antoni district, a place that offers the ideal ecosystem for this type of production, typified by Can Fontet and Can Rich for example. Can Fontet is an organic farm which that currently grows fruit and vegetables and it is instrumental in recovering and promoting traditional varieties such as the xeixa, an ancient type of wheat, or the camarroja an Ibizan variety of lettuce. They also make goat’s cheeses and encourage the use of animals for ploughing and sowing their fields in the traditional way. You can find them on the main road to Sant Inés (Corona) km 3.1.

Can Rich is an important local producer with an increasingly wide range of products such as organic wines, oils, vinegars, Ibizan salts etc. Their philosophy is to create quality organic products and wine production in particular with a selection that includes sparkling wines. They began making wines in 1997 and set up the wine cellar in 1999 producing different vintages.

The quality of local produce is in many cases labelled to promote, protect and encourage local production and consumption. With this in mind, the Sabors d’Eivissa brand was created to promote and distinguish produce from the island’s farms and fisheries launched to highlight local cuisine. Peix Nostrum, in turn, is a seal of quality that identifies all the fish products marketed by the local fishing fleet and the fishermen’s guilds of Ibiza and Sant Antoni, ensuring traceability, sustainability of practices and proper handling of fresh produce. Similarly, the oil and wine produced in Ibiza also have their respective IGP seals which identify and certify that the produce consumed has been grown and prepared on the island in accordance with established requirements.