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“Gure Gutiziak” was created in 2012 in the heart of a Basque family in Argentina, in the city of Gral. Las Heras.  The project has grown day by day and today they produce nearly 50 homemade food products without preservatives, both sweet and savory.  For anyone who has tried them and enjoys them, “Gure Gutiziak” will have a stand at the BAC on March 18 from noon to 6pm on the Avenida de Mayo in the capital city. 

Gral. Las Heras, Argentina.   “Gure Gutiziak” (Our Cravings, in Basque) is a family project that was created four years ago, “in response to a personal concern.”  As Adriana Elena Ferrari, alma mater of the project explained to EuskalKultura.com, “The idea came about at the end of 2012 when my youngest daughter proposed the project to me, since I was nearing retirement as a high school teacher, and she knew that I wouldn’t be able to just do nothing. After thinking about it, and during the summer of 2013 I took some classes on how to sterilize and pasteurize, even though for my entire life cooking was something that I did out of love and for pleasure.  It is really different to do it commercially.”

In March 2013, “Gure Gutiziak” launched six products.  “The name also came out of the family.  We are a Basque family that is active in the local Basque club as well as neighboring clubs.  My husband, Jorge Apaolaza, is the grandson of Gipuzkoans, his grandfather Lorenzo Apaolaza Zumalakarregi was from Gabiria, and from Navarre.  We wanted something that represented our idiosyncrasy, that would be easy to remember, and above all, easy to pronounce in Spanish.  My son proposed some options and we chose “Gure Gutiziak.”

The first six products were made with produce from our garden, and they were very well received, and people returned to order more.  “They said that they tasted like recipes that their grandmother would make,” Adriana explained.

The project continued to grow and its directors had to adapt to the conditions of such a demand.  They registered their brand, and became part of the AFIP while registering more producers of primary materials since their home garden was no longer enough.  At the same time, Adriana continued to take classes at the INTI and of course, new products arose.  Currently the name “Gure Gutiziak,” can be seen on sweets, jams, jellies, fruits in syrup, pickles, pates, preserves and liquors.

In regards to where you can find these specialties, the Company has a locale at the Mercado de Belgrano, Juramento and Ciudad de La Paz, from March to December on Saturdays normally between 10am-7pm.  They also sell direct, but not to businesses, in Gral. Las Heras and in Buenos Aires.

There is another spot that may soon become a tradition that the director of “Gure Gutiziak” especially enjoys.  “In 2015, the Laurak Bat Basque Club invited us to participate in “Buenos Aires Celebrates,” and we had a stand there. We, and they alike, were more than happy with the results, and so we participated again in 2016.  Now, we are getting ready for this year that also coincides with the club’s birthday, so it will be a double celebration,” Adriana said.  “Buenos Aires Celebrates the Basque Country” will take place on March 18 from noon to 6pm on the Avenida de Mayo, steps from the City Hall.

You can contact the company through Facebook, Gure Gutiziak, or via email: guregutiziak@gmail.com.