Media appearances
GONZALO RÍOS products, from a traditional workshop founded in 1958, sold in markets all over the world
Wine news
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
“Internationalization has been a key driver of our development,” explains Purificación Ríos. She adds something particularly interesting: “It has allowed us to expand our markets, diversify our risks, and, above all, improve as an organization. That last part is probably the most revealing.”
"Contact with other markets forces us to review processes, improve service, adapt to new demands, and strengthen our capacity for innovation. According to the director, this international exposure has driven the company to adapt, innovate, and continuously optimize its processes, consolidating a model based on constant evolution without losing its original essence."
Ice cream cones 'made in Cantabria' that are enjoyed all over the world
The Country
Saturday, August 19, 2023
"Whether you're in Madrid, Paris, or Seoul, if you eat every last crumb of your ice cream cone because it's so delicious, it's almost certainly made in Cantabria."
“Our goal is to make the best wafers in the world. We are committed to products that are good for your health, with the highest quality ingredients,” insists Purificación Ríos.
"And what makes the perfect wafer? 'Delicious, golden in color, toasted but not burnt. Zero acrylamides,' says Purificación Ríos, president of the GONZALO RÍOS company."
“Visually, cones and wafers might seem the same, but they’re not all the same. There’s nothing like one of those cardboard-like wafers compared to one of ours. Eat the wafer, savor it, and see how it behaves in your mouth. Is it crunchy? Is it pleasant, or is it hard to bite into? How does it leave your palate? Clean, or with a light layer of grease?”
"The wafers have an 18-month guarantee that they are perfect and crispy, and they take great care in packaging and shipping, preparing them well to avoid breakage. And it's not easy to stack such fragile material: tulips, fans, rolls, square and round cut cookies, cones... The cone is iconic, the best seller (plain or chocolate-covered); with sizes from 65 millimeters high (the mini) to 280 millimeters high and 55 in diameter."
"The factory operates 24 hours a day. Around 80,000 pieces are produced daily at GONZALO RÍOS."
“My father has always been a fighter, very innovative and business-minded. Without knowing the language, he traveled all over France in his van selling wafers to the Cantabrian emigrants who had gone there out of necessity, out of hunger, and who had started dairies and ice cream shops. He told me that he would just look at people, and if he saw anyone who looked Spanish, he would ask them questions, and that's how he got to places.”
La Tramontana, the suburban ice cream shop with its own workshop that is a hit in Madrid
The Country
Tuesday, July 11, 2023
“The wafers come from GONZALO RÍOS, in Bárcena de Cicero (Cantabria). And from a little further afield, the vanilla, which comes from Tahiti and Madagascar. “It’s important that the customer knows that we have control over all the ingredients we use to make our products,” Abachian adds.
Discover and savor Cantabria through local products
The Daily Mountaineer
Saturday, July 24, 2021
"High-quality things are being done and the public needs to know it, appreciate it and, above all, have it available to them."
“We thought it was a fantastic idea, so we joined as soon as we heard about it. This marketplace showcases everything produced in Cantabria, which is essential since there's still a lot of ignorance about it. High-quality products are made here, and the public needs to know it, appreciate it, and, above all, have access to it. Our online store is aimed at large consumers, while cantabriaenlamesa.com is geared towards the end consumer, bringing us closer to a new customer base and opening a window beyond the region. We want to highlight our product, which is always associated with ice cream, but can be enjoyed in many different ways.”
The vindication of the undervalued wafer
The Country
Thursday, August 30, 2018
"A classic ice cream parlor like Los Alpes, also in Madrid, has been using GONZALO RÍOS ice cream cones for forty years."
"Craftsmen since 1958, this original family business from the Pasiegos Valleys is now in its third generation in Santander."
"Their strongest market is Europe, although they supply wafers to almost the entire world. GONZALO RÍOS is present in 35 countries. "In Spain, sales always start higher in the central and southern regions because summer arrives earlier than in the north, but then sales even out."
GONZALO RIOS,
a story of overcoming adversity and adapting
Ice Cream Art
"Among the latest product innovations, we highlight the American No. 70 wafer with a dark chocolate crown and the No. 45 wafer with a dark chocolate crown; the artisan cinnamon, the short roll, the heart-shaped fan perfect for surprising with desserts, and a box of 6 wafers for enjoying ice cream at home."
