Discover rafols, elaboration and distribution of premium codfish
At Rafols we are the third generation of producers of high-quality traditional desalted cod.
Our history dates back to the late 40s, Ramón Rafols began in the world of salting with retail trade in the Santa Caterina market in Barcelona. They were hard and difficult post-war times and cod then was a poor man's fish, an inland fish. Jordi Rafols, his son, took over in the 70s and, although at first he continued with the retail business, he began desalting and distributing to restaurants in the area that demanded top-quality products ready to cook.
Thus, around 1990, seeing the growing demand for distribution of desalted cod by restaurants, it was decided to dedicate all the production to restaurant professionals, starting what is today Bacalao Rafols.
With the arrival of his wife Mecedes Ferrer as commercial director, Bacalao Rafols begins to generate sales outside of Spain, initiating an expansion process with which the Rafols brand begins to be recognized internationally for its quality.
Today our history continues at the hands of the third generation Marc and Alejandro Rafols.
Our cod’s elaboration
Our cornerstone is the production of the highest quality Icelandic desalted cod. The process involves traditional fishing exclusively with hooks for pieces of more than 4kg of wild cod. Once the ship returns to port, the salting process begins according to traditional Icelandic protocols.
The pieces are opened in a butterfly shape and are cured in salt for a period of three to six months depending on the size. It is a determining moment of the process, where the entire spine (bacalada) releases the gelatin that will impregnate its white meat. This results in a meat that is characterized by its soft texture, sweetness and cellar flavor.
The key to good cod: hydration and desalining
At Rafols we believe that good desalting involves: first a slow hydration with filtered water and controlled temperature, and then continues with completely artisanal de-spinning and portioning. It is a slow process, but one that we understand is necessary to preserve the premium quality characteristics that traditional salting provides.
Distribution of cod
Today our products reach, through different distributors, professionals in 18 countries on 3 continents; Europe, America and Asia. Despite producing a traditional product, our company philosophy consists of evolving and innovating by offering products tailored to the needs of our clients, so that they, with their expertise and craftsmanship, can enhance it and make it today, just like In the past, you can taste both the traditional flavor so characteristic and with so much roots in our Mediterranean culture, as well as the most avant-garde culinary trends.
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