Forn Ca’l Rei

The history of Ca’l Rei dates back to 1936 when the maternal grandfather of the current owners, Gaspar Piña Fuster, decided to leave his job as a carpenter in Sóller. Together with his wife, Antònia Maria Picó Miró, they opened a bakery in the centre of Muro, on Pare Alzina Street, where they continue to serve their customers today.

Years later, their daughter Margalida Piña Picó continued her parents’ legacy, having learned the art of baking from them. When she married, her husband Gabriel Aguiló also joined the business. The couple’s three children grew up in the bakery, as they lived in the flat above the shop. When they retired, the third generation continued the family tradition.

Around 1980, the store was renovated and, in addition to modernising the facilities, a rotating wood-fired oven was installed.

Today, the bakery is run by Xisco, Gaspar and Marga Aguiló Piña, who make the products according to traditional family recipes. All three work in the bakery and are responsible for its management.

They are members of the ‘Pa d’aquí. Forn i Tradició’ brand, which distinguishes establishments with bakeries that make different types of bread from the Balearic Islands, such as white, brown and wholemeal country bread. They also make olive oil bread rolls, a type of bread that is currently only found in a few bakeries.

They have a wide range of ensaimadas, one of their specialities, making up to 35 varieties. The most popular among their customers are chocolate, cream and walnut, chocolate and cream, and cream.

They also offer traditional pastries, such as savoury cocas, cocarrois and typical empanadas (panades), as well as more special ones such as chicken with onion and cuttlefish with onion and peas. They also offer potato cocas and a wide variety of rubiols in different flavours.

They also prepare typical Mallorcan products for each holiday or season. For example, at Christmas they offer roscón de Reyes, at Carnival they offer potato cake with pieces of quince and sobrasada, and at Easter they offer crespells.

The name Ca’l Rei comes from an interesting anecdote. The great-grandfather of the Aguiló brothers played King Herod in the Christmas plays that were performed at that time. That is why they began to know him in the village as ‘the King’, and when they set up the business, they named the bakery after him.