The elaboration and sale of blackberry syrup and nogadas is one of the most
known in the city of Ibarra. Doña Clementina de Guzmán was the pioneer. They say that
she was a boarder in a school run by Spanish nuns, where she learned to prepare these
delicious candies. Later she taught the preparation to some people, including
of whom was Ana Núñez, who at seven years of age worked in the house of Mrs.
Clementine. About thirty-five years ago, Ana decided to try her luck and began to
prepare the recipes that she had learned, to sell them in a wooden cart in the
La Merced park, which at that time was the Ibarra bus terminal. Victor Julio
Núñez Ontaneda helped her mother and twenty-two years ago she took over the management of the business
familiar.
Visit Ecuador and South America (2013)
At present there are three families dedicated to the production of these products: the
Hernández, Albán and Núñez families. They went from selling on mobile carts to settling in
small stalls in the park of La Merced, in front of the church. Then they were given premises in
the ground floor of the building that had functioned as a military barracks, also in front of the park of The mercy. In addition, Víctor Núñez and his family have expanded and currently have
three branches, in addition to the three stalls that are located in front of the park.
