MY ORGANIC GUIDE TO CADIZ CITY
While I’m still cooking on my eco/green tourism project (I can’t wait to tell you about it), I have also been working on making an organic guide to Cádiz, that gives you an overview of where you can buy organic products and foods. I would have loved to have had one, when I moved to Cádiz.
Eating organic and using organic products on my body and in my home is something that is important to me. I want to prioritize to eat healthy and avoid pesticides and chemicals that damages my body and that can create illnesses. But I also chose the ecological and sustainable lifestyle because the planet needs it. We are damaging Mother Earth with too many chemicals and she doesn’t like it. She is suffering and that is one of the reasons why we have the climate crisis in the world.
But, when it comes to ecology and sustainability in Spain, it is still “the new girl in town” and there are still few Spaniards that are conscient about what they eat. I knew that moving to Spain meant that I sometimes have to compromise with my foods, because there are still not as many products as in Denmark, for example. Especially in Cádiz, that is very Spanish and traditional. This is one of the things that are so special about Cádiz, that it is a very traditional place. It has a small village atmosphere, where people know each other, and things go by mouth to mouth. I have found that a lot of things in Cádiz, you can’t find online. You have to talk to people or get lost in the streets and suddenly you discover something, you would never have found online. That is what I love so much about Cádiz.
So, after some investigation and talking to people, I have discovered several stores in Cádiz where you can buy organic. Because Cádiz is a place where you talk to people, I have chosen to interview all the shop owners about their stories about their shop and why they have chosen this path in their lives. It’s been fun and a real joy meeting and talking to all these lovely and warm people. Read along and get to know them too.
I have divided the stores into if they are placed in the old or new town. In the end of the post there are some other fun and exciting places.
THE OLD TOWN
La Huerta Ecotienda 
Calle San Miguel 4
Tel: 956 21 46 33
Lahuertaecotienda.es
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 10–14:30 & 18-21
Saturday: 10-15
Sunday: closed
When I enter La Huerta, which means “the garden”, it gives me a feeling of something authentic, personal and down to earth. Something imperfect and yet perfect, because it is authentic. The store sells organic groceries, fruits and vegetables and some sanitarian product. Just what you need in your daily household and cooking. And, this is exactly what the owner Laura is aiming for. She doesn’t want anything fancy she just wants her customers to be able to buy just what they need for their daily use.
Laura is from Madrid and moved to Cádiz 12 years ago with her former boyfriend and their unborn child. They wanted a change in their lives and didn’t want to raise a child in a big city. They opened a small kebab restaurant, because the boyfriend had Turkish roots and that was something, he was good at. Laura had been eating organic food while living in Madrid and in Cádiz she found a group of people with whom she shared the same interest in organic food.
At some point a friend of hers, who had an organic shop, had to let it go and that was when Laura took over La Huerta, five years ago. At that point there were not many producers of organic food in the province of Cádiz, so she had to buy the food from other countries. But slowly, there are more products that are grown and made in the province, so now Laura aims only to buy locally, as much as possible, to be as climate friendly as possible, regarding transportation.
Laura finds it important to follow the natural cycles of the growth of vegetables and their seasoning, because she believes that this is the best for our immune system and health. But it also means less transportation from other countries and therefore less pollution. That means that you can’t always get exactly the fruits and vegetables that you were hoping for before getting to the store, but then you can get something else. You can buy your flour and other things in bulk, which saves the packaging and you can get just the amount you want. Laura also aims for sustainability and recycling, and therefore, among her and the costumers, there is frequently an exchange of experiences and containers, carton and other things that can be recycled and transformed into something new. So, bring your empty containers to the store, and they will be recycled for sure.
La Sostenible 
Calle San Pedro 16
Tel: 856 17 16 25/628 28 86 31
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 10–14 & 18-21
Saturday: 11-14
Sunday: closed
La Sostenible means: “The Sustainable” and is owned by Javier. He is a young guy from Cádiz that has a passion for organic foods and products. His interest started with that he wanted to eat heathier and also that his kids would eat healthier. Little by little, his interest in organic foods was increasing. He used to work at La Huerta, but then the opportunity came up, that he could have his own store. He took over from the previous owner of La Sostenible in October 2018.
His shop contains only organic products, except from 1 or 2, that are natural and local. In Javier’s shop you can buy fruits and vegetables, groceries, some in bulk, and some sanitary products. Javier’s goal is to be as sustainable as possible and he aims to buy his products local from the province. In the store you will find small “km. 0” signs next to the products that indicates that they are local and has been polluting less, in terms of transportation. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are delivery days for fresh fruits and vegetables. And when Saturday comes and there are still some fruits and vegetables left, he contacts various restaurants to see if they want to buy it, so that it doesn’t go to waste.
Javier loves his job and the contact he has with the customers and his suppliers. He delivers an amazing service, and you can send him a message on Whatsapp and order a product from home, and he will let you know when it has arrived and is ready to be picked up. Javier also loves networking and creating new relations. Calle San Pedro is yet not a street with a lot of traffic of people, but Javier is intending to make it happen, and is involving all the other shops in the street, to collaborate to make that goal.
Mesemia 
Calle Beato Diego de Cádiz nº 3
Tel: 856 17 40 37
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 10–14 & 17-20:30
Saturday: 10:30-14
Sunday: closed
In Calle de Beato Diego de Cádiz, there is this cute little organic cosmetic store. May, the owner, is from Jaen, east of Andalusia, and she actually has a background in forestry. She worked with forestry and coaching for some years while moving around in Spain. Then she met her husband, who is from Cádiz and you can’t fight love, so she moved to the city four years ago.
May has always had a passion for cosmetics. And later she became more conscious about the ingredients of the products and that’s when she became interested in organic and natural products. In May 2017 she opened an online shop selling organic cosmetics (the webpage you can find above) and in September 2017 she opened the store. May is very passionate about what she does, and she wants to sell products that have quality ingredients, that are efficient, that look beautiful and if they are Spanish, it is best, because she wants to support the manufactures in her own country. May is always searching to get more information and learn more, so don’t hesitate to ask her about anything about cosmetics, she will gladly help you or research for you.
Pan de Aida 
The Central Market Abastos
Calle Libertad, stall nº 13
Tel: 644 41 84 40
Opening hours:
Tuesday – Saturday: 9-14
Monday & Sunday: closed
Pan de Aida is homemade bread and pastry run by the couple Aida and Jill. Aida has an education within fine arts, she paints. But at some point, she was without a job and it was difficult for her to find one. Being an artist, she loves using her hands and she had to keep them moving, so she started backing bread at home. Aida and Jill started giving the freshly baked breads as gifts for friends and family and they loved it. Little by little people were encouraging her to start her own bakery. At that time Jill, who is English of origin, was teaching English at an academy in Cádiz. But she joined Aida on her project and together they opened a bakery in 2016. At first it was located in Calle Alcalá Galiano, but because of the strict rules that there are about running a bakery in a residential area, they had to move and opened a small bakery at the local market, and they enjoy what they do. All the recipes are Aida’s and almost all the ingredients are organic. Ask them to know which ones are not. Orders can be made in advance.
La Virreina 
Calle Compañía nº 4 Local Bj D
Tel: 856 65 01 12
lavirreinacolonialescadiz@gmail.com
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 10–14:30 and 17:30-20:30
Saturday: 10-15
Sunday: closed
María José, that owns the store, opened it in December 2017. She wanted to create an authentic local grocery store. Like the ones in the old days, where people would come and have a chat while shopping their groceries. I have to say that she has managed to create that atmosphere very well because when I entered the store, it made me think of my grandmother. She used to live in the country side, and we would sometimes go to this old school grocery store nearby and do some shopping. The shop is a mix of organic and non-organic food, and almost all of the groceries are from Spain and a lot of it you can buy in bulk. Some of the things that you can buy organic are pasta (some are also vegan), lentils and beans, quinoa, chia-seeds, flour, marmalade, beer, wine, tea and more. María José also sells some product that are used in traditional dishes in Spain. But which ones, you will have to ask her about.
La Ventana Natural – Herbalist 
Plaza Torpete 2,
Tel: 916 07 54 88
franquicia.cadiz@laventananatural.com
Opening hours:
Monday – Saturday: 9:30 – 21:00
Sunday: closed
La Ventana Natural is a franchise store. They have a broad variety of basic and special organic groceries. They also sell organic fresh bread and they also have vegan products. Since it’s an herbalist store, they of course also have a lot of vitamins and supplements. They are open during siesta, so it’s a good go-to store if you are in need during siesta.
Supermarket
If you don’t have time to run to several different stores and need many things, you can go to the Carrefour market, Plaza Libertad 1, at the market square (opening hours: Mon-Sat: 9-21:30, Sun: closed). They have their own organic brand and they have a small area with organic fruits and vegetables.
NEW CÁDIZ
Con la Mesa Puesta 
Calle Santa Teresa de Jesús, 17 y 19
Tel: 956 25 29 13
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 9:45–14 & 18-21
Saturday: 10-14
Sunday: closed
Con la Mesa Puesta, is the eldest shop with organic foods, fruits and vegetables in Cádiz. The shop is almost 20 years old and has the same owner, Juaquin, since then. He runs the shop with his wife and until four years ago, the shop was located in Calle Huerta del Obispo.
Before opening the store, Juaquin used to work as a mechanic. But he had a great interest in healthy food and its effect on the body. At that time, his mom was consulting a naturopath, Rafael, and he discovered Juaquin’s interest in healthy food, and started providing him with information about nutrition, healthy food, plant medicine, naturopathy and more. Little by little he gained a lot of knowledge from Rafael and he decided to change his career path and open this shop.
In Juaquin’s shop you can buy organic groceries, fresh fruits and vegetables (delivery every Monday and Thursday), meat and sanitary products. Juaquin also has a great interest in plant medicine. He is in weekly contact with Manuel, who is growing and used to sell his medicinal plants to Rafael, the naturopath. Rafael is unfortunately not living anymore. So, when people come to Juaquin’s shop and are seeking for alternative solutions to medicine, Juaquin provides a contact to Manuel, which advises them about plant medicine. Don’t hesitate to ask Juaquin anything you want to know about alternative ways of staying healthy, he knows a lot of things and is happy to tell about it, I found out. It is Juaquin’s plan to offer courses and workshops about the theme. Stay tuned on his webpage.
Bendito Alimento
Calle Ciudad de Santander, 9
Tel: 856 07 69 89
benditoalimentocadiz@gmail.com
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 10–14 & 17:30-21
Saturday: 10-14
Sunday: closed
I found this shop by chance walking down this small and calm side street of the big Avenida. When I saw it I just went WHAU. It has this huge and beautiful entrance, and everything is so neatly put on the shelves and the shop just goes on and on behind the counter. Being a health store, it is a huge store in my perspective. It has everything that you could wish for in groceries, fruits and vegetables, cold foods, vegan choses, vitamins, supplement, herbs and food in bulk and more. I know it’s not fair to the other stores, but this one is my favorite because it gives me that “whau” feeling. Sometimes I just visit it, take a tour and enjoy it, not buy anything, because I like its esthetics.
The name “Bendito Alimento” means “blessed food”. Blessed because it is organic and healthy. It’s a family run business, that started in one of the other shops (there are two smaller herbalist stores in the area, with the same owners) in 1981. It was the father that owned that shop, and Rafael, his son, was helping him out in the shop, while he was studying history and geography at the university. But Rafael had a great interest in healthy foods, so when finishing his studies, he started working in his father’s shops. Shops, because he opened another one in 1986, which is the Bendito Alimento. But until two years ago, Bendito Alimento was actually just a very small herbalist store and it had another name. But Rafael took a chance, bought the empty storage rooms behind the shop and expanded it. He wanted to be able to sell fresh fruits and vegetables too. Rafael makes videos on YouTube where talks and advices about healthy food – search for “centro dietetico viquez”.
In Bendito Alimento works Rafael, his cousin Rafael (who has also worked here since the beginning) and a young guy Dani, who has been friends with Rafael, the cousin since he can remember. Rafael, the cousin, gives advice on nutrition and how to lose weight in private consults. You can book an appointment in the store. In one of the sister stores, works Rafael’s brother. They all always give an amazing service and take time for a chat when I come by the store.
Sister shops with same owners
Herbolario Víquez, Avenida Segunda Aguada 15
Centro dietético Víquez- Herbolario Cadiz, Avenida Ana de Viya 9
Bio POMPAS Cadiz 
Plaza los Balbo
Tel: 687 89 37 88
Opening hours:
Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 9–14 & 18-20:30
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday: 9-14
Sunday: closed
Here you can buy organic detergent of all kinds and shampoo in bulk. In bulk just like in the old days, that’s what the elder population say when they walk by and discover the store. I don’t remember, because it is way before my time.
Bio POMPAS is a Spanish franchise chain and at the moment, you can find 17 stores in Spain. Maybe more will pop up soon. Nuria owns this Bio POMPAS store in Cádiz. At first it used to be an Italian brand, Goccia Verde, but it shut down and Bio POMPAS was born. Nuria has had the store since January 2018. Before opening this store, Nuria used to work for Vodafone for 18 years, with customer service. She was starting to become very conscious about all the plastic containers that comes with the detergent we buy at the supermarket. She was thinking that it was such a big waste and the plastic containers had such a short and polluting life. With a little savings, she wanted to make a difference and she opened the store. Here you bring your own containers and buy as much as you like and pay buy weight. You can also buy some sustainable kitchen and sanitary things like wooden toothbrushes, reusable sanitary pads and cotton pads, reusable cotton bags for buying fruits and vegetables in loose weight, a reusable sandwich wrap bag, metal straws, bamboo coffee cup and a lot more. Go and check it out.
Alándalus Club – Gourmet Selection – Products de Cádiz 
Calle Marqués de la Ensenada, 13
Tel: 956 10 53 93/635 28 09 16
www.alandalusclub.com
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 9:15–14:15 & 18-21
Saturday: 10:30-14
Sunday: closed
This little shop sells only local products from Spain and mainly Andalusia and from small farmers and manufactures. Not all products are organic, but you can find organic things like olives, olive oil, wine, beer, cheese, honey, spices, pasta, aloe, salt, algae, tee, eggs and more. And many things are natural and from the local area. The shop is owned by Ana from Cádiz. She opened it in 2015. First, since 2014, she only sold her products online. But then she opened the physical shop too. The shop is small, and it gives you a feeling of travelling back in time, to when they had these small grocery stores where you could get just what you needed for your household.
Ana has been living abroad several times and while being in another country, she missed eating the foods from her local area. She likes food and eating and that was when the idea was born. It had to be about the food, and not just any, it had to be quality, local and with a mind on the environment.
Supermarkets:
In the new area of town, you can find supermarkets that have their own organic brands, and some fruits and vegetables. They are:
Lidl – There are two, in Calle Dr. José Manuel Pascual y Pascual, 3 and in Calle Chiclana, s/n
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday: 9 – 22
Sunday: closed
Aldi – Calle Soleá, Av. Juan Carlos I
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday: 9 – 21:30
Sunday: closed
Carrefour Market
Rochester, esq, Av. Andalucía
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday: 9 – 21:30
Sunday: closed
OTHERS
Organic market
Every 2nd Saturday of the month from 11:00 – 14:00, there is an organic market in Cádiz, just by the museum of Lithographic. By the entrance walls that divides the old and new part of Cádiz. Here you can find small stalls with organic foods from the local farmers and manufactures in the province of Cádiz.
The market is still very young, the first market was held in November 2018. The initiative is developed by the City Council and RAC (Red Agroecológica de Cádiz), in English: Agroecological Network of Cádiz. RAC is a group of people working together with the common goal of defending and promoting Agroecology, restoring sovereignty to the people of the countryside and to people who want to lead a more natural way of life to which the consumer society imposes us day by day.
In the organization are producers (farmers, ranchers, industries), marketers (stores, distributors, etc.), individual consumers and organizations (associations, federations, foundations, cooperatives or any other type of organization). The Internal Regulations define the characteristics that each group must meet. Read more on their webpage.
Rumor has it, that in the near future, the market will be held twice a month, because the people are asking for it.
Das-Brot
Das-Brot is an organic bakery based in Tarifa (but also has shops in Sevilla and Marbella), in the province of Cádiz. They sell their organic bread to several stores in Cádiz capital and that’s why I have decided to mention them here too. They sell to many of the above stores like: La Huerta, La Sostenible, Con la Measa Puesta, Bendito Alimento and on the organic market, where they arrive with their cute little truck.
On their web site, the story about the bakery goes:
“Once upon the time…. 17 years ago, everything started with the creation of a few breads for sale in a surf shop in Tarifa for German tourists. The original recipe came from a German immigrant family with 5 children, self-catering, living in a remote spot in southern Argentina. Flour and salt were exchanged for milk, cheese, butter and everything that gave the land in the “next” health food store; Caraway and other seeds, grew in the garden. The wood-burning stove heated the whole hut.
Like all emigrants in their New World, Germans also lack their daily eating habits in all their variants: the bread. So, in Spain, at that time, it was difficult to get used to short-lived white bread. In Spain, in the Tarifa area of Cádiz, the first breads were baked for personal consumption on a remote old mill with their wood-burning oven. Soon, the interest of other compatriots was noticeable for these created culinary delights. Germans do not have the habit of eating bread at all times but consider it as a stand-alone meal. With cold cuts, cheese or jam, it becomes a full meal, always provided it is also full bread.
Organic restaurants and cafés
There are not really any restaurants in Cádiz that serves 100% organic food. Maybe a few places use organic products, but it is not really anything that they are posting about. But I have managed to discover a few places where you can buy some organic foods.
Agua Viento Water Wind
There is this colorful organic and vegan food truck, run by Berta and Philip, that travels around in the province of Cádiz and Andalusia, selling their food in cities and villages. Sometimes they show up at the monthly market in Cádiz. You can follow their route on their Facebook page and on Instagram. I haven’t tried them yet, but when I run into them, I will for sure.
They write the following about themselves, on their Facebook page:“Our cuisine is innovative and creative. We try to reproduce traditional dishes without using any product of animal origin, so the imagination and the ingredients we use are very versatile to capture unique flavors. Our elaborations and raw materials are completely handmade and made by us: from the bread, the scorpions, the vegan mayonnaise, the croquettes, masses, cheeses, empanadas, tortillas (without eggs), cakes … This project is different because we try to go further. Vegetables and fruits come from our organic garden or from local producers in the province of Cádiz or Málaga. All the containers where we serve our meals are recycled and 100% compostable, reducing our footprint. We also have solar panels on the roof that allow us to be practically self-sufficient in our kitchen on wheels”.
La Tostadora 
Plaza Pintor Clemente de Torres
Opening hours:
Monday to Friday: 8:30–13 & 17:30-21
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: 10-14 & 16:30–20:30
It’s a cute little café that just opened in April this year. It is run by two sisters and their mom. Here you toast your bread (that is organic) right at the table – each table has its own toaster and they have all kinds of toppings that you may desire. I have never seen this before but it’s really a funny idea. And then they serve a lot of different organic cakes. After siesta hours, you can get cocktails, vine, beer and just chill. It seems like a very local place, maybe because of its location, but it’s worth visiting because of its lovely atmosphere and distinct way of serving breakfast.
Vegan and vegetarian
And if you look for places to eat that are vegan or vegetarian (not organic though) you can find nice places if you look at my post here
Alejandra qué buen trabajo has hecho!! Gracias y mil veces gracias. Cádiz se merece tener una guía como ésta!!
Muchísimas gracias May, por tus palabras bonitas. Fue divertido hacerlo y un gran placer conocerte. Un abrazo
Wow, great job, it has been a pleasure to meet u!!
Thank you so much Ana, it was great fun to make it and a pleasure to meet you. See you soon!!
Hello, Alexandra
I saw your blog on Active Language’s Facebook page. My name is Maria Luisa and I will be joining Active Language this summer, to train in order to become an English-language teacher. I am from Spain, but also a U.S. citizen. I have lived overseas in the U.S., UK and Japan. I recently moved back to Cadiz, since my partner is here. Anyway, I like your blog, it’s very nice.
I like talking and meeting with other “guiris” (foreigners) in Cadiz… Although I was born in Madrid, I have been living overseas for almost 30 years, so I definitely feel like a foreigner here quite often. I am posting my website below, which is about Cadiz, its history, culture and events, and it’s in English. If you ever want to meet up and grab a coffee, it would be nice chatting with a fellow “guiri”. Cheers, Maria Luisa
https://cometocadiz.com/about-come-to-cadiz/
Thank you very much Maria Luisa, I have send you a reply to your email 🙂 Regards Alexandra