The Sainz family started up a small jar sealing business.
The history of La Catedral de Navarra dates back to the first half of the last century. During the Civil War, soldiers´ mothers preserved vegetables, casseroles and pâtés for their sons and daughters, and after the war it was also essential to store as much seasonal food as possible so that they were available all year round, Preserves became both necessary and a part of daily life, above all in regions such as the Navarre riverbanks, where the fertile region produced such exquisite products that they were well worth storing. Petra Lopez, grandmother of the current
owner of La Catedral de Navarra, started up a small jar sealing business in Mendavia, combining her knowledge of the fields with a strong enterprising nature. She and her family used tin to seal jars that contained both their own vegetable preserves and those prepared by the villagers in their homes. By the mid-40s of the last century they were already selling artichokes, tomatoes, peppers, white asparagus and leeks. Since then, all the family´s efforts have been aimed at obtaining the best vegetables and preserving their flavour intact, which has converted La Catedral de Navarra into a synonym of quality.