Rosa Blanca and Laccao, two Mallorcan products that have ended up outside of Mallorca in the hands of Damm

PalmWhite Rose andLaccaoThey share a common history. Both of these historic, traditional, and emblematic products of Mallorcan industry ended up in the hands of Damm and have lost their connection to Mallorca. The current situation with Laccao is a carbon copy of what happened years ago with Rosa Blanca, a beer that many still associate with the Balearic Islands, but whose only link to the islands is its name. Not even the Rosa Blanca recipe that is sold has anything to do with the traditional one. From its beginnings, Rosa Blanca was a beerlagerBlonde beer, characterized by its low-temperature fermentation and the fact that it matures for a longer period in cold storage. Now, it's not even that anymore. According to Miquel Amorós, founder and owner of Mallorca Beer CoDamm decided to change the recipe to ahoppy lager"to give it a more modern touch" - an unfiltered beer with extra hops.

Amorós denounces that Damm is taking advantage of the brand name, while "of traditional beer, nothing remains." "I hope the same doesn't happen with Laccao, because in a few years we'll find that the recipe is the same as Cacaolat's and that all we'll have left of Laccao is the brand name, although it wouldn't surprise me," explains the brewer. He also points out that the disappearance of Rosa Blanca in Mallorca had a similar impact on the brewing sector as the disappearance of Agama. "It was a near-fatal blow to the sector; it's the same thing that has happened now with the dairy farms and the dairy industry. They're killing the industry little by little," he laments.

The added value of the local products and the produced in the Balearic Islands It coexists with a complex reality: competition from products produced outside the territory that can confuse consumers, who believe they are made here because they recognize the brand (like Rosa Blanca and Laccao). Local production involves higher costs due to insularity, and this, within the context of the crisis in Balearic industry, leads to the disappearance of traditional island brands or the outsourcing of production, causing them to lose their connection to the archipelago.

The story of Rosa Blanca beer

Rosa Blanca beer, founded in Palma in 1924, is one of the clearest examples of the decline of the brewing industry in Mallorca and the gradual disconnect between a historic brand and its place of origin. For decades, the brand was an integral part of the local production fabric, with its own brewery and a strong presence on the island. In 1972, with the creation of Balear de Cervezas following the merger with Pripp Española, it became established as one of the beers brewed in Mallorca, alongside other brands.

The turning point came in 1977 with the entry of Damm and Cruz del Campo into the Mallorcan market, which eventually acquired the local company. Although production continued for a time, external control began a process of declining production on the island. This process ended in 1999 when beer production in the Balearic Islands ceased altogether. Beers continued to be brewed elsewhere until they eventually disappeared.

It wasn't until 2017 that Damm regained the rights to Rosa Blanca after acquiring a long-standing distributor (Comercial Bordoy), and in 2018 it launched its relaunch. Despite recovering the brand, this new phase has no connection to Mallorca, as it is brewed on the Spanish mainland as part of the company's strategy to strengthen locally rooted brands. Thus, Rosa Blanca, like Laccao, has gone from being a beer made in Mallorca to a brand that evokes its name and history, but is, in practice, disconnected from its origin and tradition.

The Laccao Case

The case of Laccao is very similar to that of Rosa Blanca: Damm's acquisition of the brand has led to a near-total disconnect with Mallorca. In 1944, the French dairy company Lactel and a pharmacist from Palma created Laccao, which became one of the most popular milkshakes and a symbol of childhood on the island. For years, it remained linked to local production within the island. AgamaIn 2021, Damm moved the production of Laccao in glass bottles to Catalonia. It was announced that this would be temporary, but manufacturing has never returned to Mallorca. Subsequently, with the closure of the Agama factory in PalmaThe change has been consolidated: Laccao in bottles is no longer produced on the island.

Over time, the process of disengagement has been completed: first, production was outsourced; then, milk from outside the Balearic Islands began to be used; and finally, with the closure of Agama, the connection with the territory has almost completely disappeared.

Currently, Laccao is produced outside the Islands and the only element that The recipe remains the same.while the rest - ingredients, production and location - no longer have any connection with Mallorca.