Andorran Agricultural Fair Draws 60,000 Visitors and Boosts Local Producers

The 14th Andorran Agricultural and Artisanal Products Fair at Illa Carlemany shopping centre drew around 60,000 visitors over the March 20-22 weekend, organisers confirmed, with producers reporting strong sales and valuable exposure for local goods among residents and tourists.

Organised by the Menja’t Andorra portal, the Agriculture Department, Productors d’Andorra and the shopping centre, the event occupied the ground floor between Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany. Six stands represented roughly 30 producers, featuring Xocland handmade chocolate—Andorra’s only domestic maker—Asgard mead, Ànima del Bosc saba, salts and herbal infusions, Estopiñan bakery sweets, Tipur candles and Estrella Andorra craft beer. The beer and candles marked new additions this year.

Environment, Agriculture and Livestock Minister Guillem Casal opened the fair on Friday, highlighting its timing amid high tourist numbers, including Valencians on their festive bridge and visitors enjoying a strong winter season with favourable weather. He called it a compact display of high-mountain output that underscores Andorra’s producer identity beyond tourism, commerce and snow, while noting the prime commercial spot and weekend schedule as key success indicators. The event’s 14-year run and producers’ repeat participation showed its effectiveness in connecting makers with buyers.

Producers recounted their backgrounds during the fair. Kiril of Estrella Andorra, which also handles the two-year-old And Beer brand, said the debut helped publicise its six-to-eight-month-old beer, drawn by Andorra’s brewing scarcity and water quality. Anabel from Tipur, linked to Productors d’Andorra for 18 months and selling from a Canillo store, valued the chance to showcase fully local items despite hurdles like importing soy wax.

Esther Snils of Xocland returned from the Philippines to address a national gap in chocolate production, importing cocoa from Venezuela and Ecuador for full processing at her Massana workshop. She has joined such fairs for eight years to drive direct sales and workshop tours. Carles Verdaguer of Asgard, Andorra’s sole dedicated mead producer, draws inspiration from medieval fantasy and Norse mythology.

Casal pledged ongoing government backing for the primary sector, where aid has risen over 30% since the legislature started—primarily for livestock due to its jobs and size, but also agriculture, honey, truffles, vines and small producers like those at the fair. No additional 30% increases are planned, though support lines will persist, with innovative ones due in mid-April. He stressed that aid would not drop, aligning with efforts to maintain identity against urban expansion, and noted steady demand at the agrobotiga in Casa Federico, opened last October.