CLARICA, THE SPANISH BLONDE BEER MADE UP OF LEMONS THAT NOBODY WANTS

The Murcian cooperative Limonar de Santomera gives life to a new beer made with ugly, but perfectly good lemons, challenging food waste and calling for change. Clarica is born from lemons that are usually thrown away but are just as valid.

There’s a problem that affects both farmers and the environment: food waste. One third of the food grown globally ends up being discarded. In Spain alone, during the 2023/2024 season, up to 400,000 tons of lemons were rejected—many of them for not meeting aesthetic standards for fresh sale. Keen to give these fruits a second chance, Limonar de Santomera, the citrus cooperative from Murcia, came up with the idea of turning that third into a consumable product. After all, who said these lemons are “ugly”? Don’t they offer the same taste and qualities as the rest? That’s how Clarica was born: a blonde beer made from unwanted lemons that are just as delicious.

To craft this new and purposeful beverage, Limonar de Santomera has partnered with Yakka, the craft brewery located in the heart of Murcia’s orchard, which oversaw the

production and development process. After testing the ideal formula and bottling the first batches, Clarica is ready to travel the world. It’s a limited edition that will go on sale starting Tuesday, July 15, and all the details can be found at clarica.es.

Meet Clarica — a very Murcian blonde ale

Clarica is a Spanish blonde beer, light and bright, with a moderate white foam. It has a fresh, citrus aroma with fruity and malty notes, as you’d expect from a beer born in Murcia’s orchard. Its flavour is soft and balanced, with moderate bitterness and a light body with medium carbonation — a refreshing, easy-to-drink beer.

The beer is made with barley malt, lemons from Santomera, hops, and yeast, bringing together the full character of its region. With an alcohol content of 4.6%, it delivers a well-balanced, light beer perfect for summer.

This special blend created by Limonar de Santomera not only celebrates artisanal quality, but also highlights the importance of origin and raises awareness about food waste giving discarded lemons a second life.

And let’s be clear: it’s made with lemons — but it’s not a lemon-flavoured beer, like many

others on the market. Clarica might just become your go-to drink this summer. This beer stands up against food waste — a silent tragedy that sees thousands of kilos thrown away for being “too ugly,” surplus, or simply victims of the system. Clarica, born from the lemons of Limonar de Santomera, aims to change that.

Antonio José Moreno García, General Director of Limonar de Santomera, explains:

“There are lemons with small scars that deserve a second life. Sustainability is not just a word in a report — it’s a constant attitude. At Limonar de Santomera, we’re no longer

willing to waste a single lemon.”

About Limonar de Santomera

Under the sun of Santomera — the small town near Murcia known for its smile-shaped lemons — stands El Limonar, a cooperative specialized in fresh, traceable, organic (and often underappreciated) citrus fruits. Since 1982, Limonar

de Santomera has been one of Spain’s leading citrus producers, with 20,000 m2 of facilities and a production capacity of over 60,000 tons of high-quality citrus.

The cooperative lives by a simple but powerful principle: to farm with love for the land, respect for the product, and care for people — always staying true to its commitment to farmers and sustainability.

In the latest season, Limonar de Santomera produced 64 million kilos of citrus fruits, including 40 million kilos of conventional lemons and 24 million kilos of organic citrus (lemons, oranges, mandarins, and grapefruits). The cooperative exports to Europe, Canada, the United States, and the Arabian Peninsula — and now, it’s ready to export the “ugly” lemons too.

Why? Because maybe they’re not so ugly after all. And because they have the same juice. This celebration of beauty in all its forms results in Clarica, which gives a second life to wasted citrus fruits.

Report by ‘24/7 Valencia’ team

Article copyright ‘24/7 Valencia’