Shopping and Local Products of Mallorca

Mallorca is primarily known for its pearls, cultivated in the crystal-clear waters. However, the true typical products of Mallorca are different, and, as usual, you need to seek them out in some shops a bit off the beaten path from the crowded tourist streets. The addresses of some of these can be found at the bottom of this page.

The specialty to bring home from Mallorca is the ensaimada, a typical sweet, the sobrasada, a spicy pork sausage, and the boutifarra, a black pork sausage.

Mallorca has a rich tradition of artisans and factories specializing in blown glass. Like in our Murano, artisans create masterpieces of colored glass by blowing into a tube (canya).

The town of Inca is the center of leather and footwear craftsmanship. Here, shoemaker guilds have existed since the Catalan conquest of the island in the 13th century. These artisans, along with those from Llucmajor, Alaró, and Binissalem, have built a renowned craft and export industry known worldwide. Examples of international brands include Camper, Barrats, and Kollflex. Some of the most important factories in the city have a showroom with a shop open to the public. This way, you can take home comfortable espadrilles, typical cotton footwear from the coastal areas of Spain.

In Mallorca, there is a significant tradition of handcrafted items made from the dwarf palm fibers, the only type that grows in the Mediterranean area. The palms, harvested in July, are dried and then broken into small pieces, a process called embrinar. Higher quality fibers are used to make baskets, hats, backpacks, bags, and large bags; the rest is used for making brooms and brushes.

Mallorca has typical embroidery "points": the maiorchino, the catenella, the allacciato, and the punto croce. Embroidery is an art that has recently been revived thanks to the teachings of ancient embroiderers. The towns with the richest traditions are Manacor, Campos, Pollença, Sencelles, Santa Margalida, Artà, and Felantix. In many cases, artisans have a shop alongside the workshop. In Palma, there are still historic establishments specialized in this craft: Can Bonet, Brodats Mallorca, and Dana.

Among the most characteristic products of Mallorcan textile craftsmanship is the artisanal tradition of weaving cotton, thread, and linen. This is known as "roba de llengües" whose handmade production necessitates preparing the warp with white cotton as was done in the past, and then dyeing it in parts according to the chosen design.

A gift to take home is the characteristic siurell, a figure with a whistle at the base, shaped by hand, painted white, and decorated with small colorful brush strokes. Ceramics are produced in the olleries, workshops that work with terracotta, primarily found in the municipality of Marratxí: Pòrtol and Sa Cabaneta. These artisans create vases, plates, wine pitchers (pitxers). Recently, the traditional production has expanded to include flower vases, candlesticks, coffee sets, containers, and so on.

Local Foods

Colmado Santo Domingo, located at Calle Santo Domingo N.1 in Palma de Mallorca. Along with sobrasada, you can find other typical island products like cheeses, wines, and jams.

Blown Glass

Gordiola. Road from Palma to Mancor, km19. Algaida. All types of blown glass for decoration. The museum and factory can be visited.

S.C.L. Menestralia. Road from Palma to Alcúdia, km 36. Campanet

LaFiore. SA. Carretera de Valldemossa, km 11. S'Esglaieta

Vidrierías Artísticas Mayra Carrá. Calle de Tiziano, 26. Palma. Design and construction of windows, chandeliers, and lamps.

Josefina Seguí. Vidrier de Candilon. C/ Ferrer de Pallares, 36 B. Palma

Footwear

Camper has existed since 1877, though the brand was founded in 1975. The factory can be visited in the Poligono Industrial Can Matzarí in Inca.

Barrats 1890 is the last branch of a family of shoemakers that started in 1880. The factory can be visited at Calle Luque number 480. George's is the brand of another company in Inca which, while never abandoning traditional craftsmanship, offers a high-quality product. It can be found on Avinguda Antoni Maura, 107.

Munper dedicates itself to the treatment and processing of any type of leather goods. An exhibition is available for visiting and purchasing products at its stores in Montuïri (road Palma-Alcúdia, km 30) and Campanet (road Palma-Alcúdia, km 36). At Calçats LlaCam, you can see an excellent display of handcrafted Majorcan sandals. It is located at Calle Es Terrers, 28. Lastly, Campanet is the cradle of Majorcan espadrille production. The workshop of Cas Campaneter (sa Carretera, 6) faithfully follows traditional methods and only uses natural products: raffia, linen, etc.

Can Parets, in Consell, is another of the great artisans specialized in espadrilles.

Llatra Artisans

Aina Alzamora Amorós. Calle Parres, 20 Artà.

Pedro Llinás Alsina. Manacor.

La Palma. Capdepera.

Some Majorcan Embroidery Artisans

Joana Far. Port de Pollença.

Mª Eloisa Nebot. Capdepera.

Brodats Mallorca. Margalida Mas. Plaça de la Mercè, 4. Palma

Miquela Bauçà. C/ Pou Nou, 17. Artà

Catalina Alzamora Ramis. C/ Marina, 5. Artà.

Llengües Textile

In Lloseta, there is the workshop of Gabriel Riera, located at Carrer Major, no 50.

Can Riera is a nearly century-old company that was recognized in 1985 by the Ministry of Industry and Energy as a "protected artisan enterprise".

In Santa Maria del Camí, we recommend Artesanía Textil Bujosa, at Calle Bernat de Santa Eugènia, 53.