La Despensa Market Visits Morata

The Community of Madrid said on May 22 that the 14th edition of La Despensa de Madrid will travel to 19 municipalities this year, extending a regional market program that promotes locally produced food and drink. Morata de Tajuña is included on the route, alongside stops such as Hoyo de Manzanares and Villanueva de la Cañada. The itinerary began in Daganzo de Arriba and is scheduled to end in Colmenar Viejo in October. Regional and local reports said the market is designed to connect consumers directly with producers from across the Madrid region. ### When does Morata de Tajuña enter the route? Morata de Tajuña appears on the September leg of the 2026 calendar, after the market pauses during July and August. Reports published on May 22 listed Morata among the municipalities scheduled for the autumn restart, together with Boadilla del Monte, Rivas Vaciamadrid, Collado Villalba, San Sebastián de los Reyes, Hoyo de Manzanares and Villanueva de la Cañada. (eldiariodemadrid.es) A prior listing on Revista Alimentaria’s Madrid Alimenta pages points to a Morata stop on Sunday, Sept. 28, though the page snippet available in search results does not show fuller event details. The municipality has also hosted the market in earlier editions, according to a 2024 notice on Morata’s town hall website. (eldiariodemadrid.es) ### What exactly is La Despensa de Madrid bringing to each stop? The 2026 edition is set up as an open-air market with 20 stalls operating from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., according to regional coverage of the program. More than 50 agri-food companies are expected to rotate through the route over successive weekends rather than appear all at once in every municipality. (revistaalimentaria.es) Products listed for sale include olives, smoked foods, fresh meat, chocolate, preserves, cured meats, empanadas, fruit, vegetables, legumes, honey, bread, pastries, beer, liqueurs, vermouth and wines. The market is framed as a direct-sales outlet for goods cultivated, produced or processed in the Community of Madrid. (eldiariodemadrid.es) ### Which producers and quality labels are part of the program? Twenty-four participating companies carry the M Producto Certificado label, according to MadridActual’s report on the 2026 route. That label, in place since 2014, identifies food products from the Madrid region that meet traceability and quality criteria, regional coverage said. (eldiariodemadrid.es) Nine businesses with recognition from the Committee of Ecological Agriculture of the Community of Madrid are also expected to take part. The market will additionally feature products covered by protected designations and regional quality marks, including Vinos de Madrid, Aceite de Madrid, Carne de la Sierra de Guadarrama, Anís de Chinchón and Aceitunas de Campo Real. (madridactual.es) ### Why is Morata’s stop part of a wider rural-economy push? The Community of Madrid has described La Despensa de Madrid as a tool to promote proximity products and support local producers. Regional and local reports said the program is also intended to generate employment, strengthen small food businesses and channel spending toward rural municipalities and nearby supply chains. (eldiariodemadrid.es) Morata’s inclusion places the municipality inside a broader circuit that mixes large suburban stops with smaller towns. That format allows the same producers to reach different consumer bases over several months while keeping the market tied to municipal plazas and central public spaces, according to the published route descriptions. (eldiariodemadrid.es) ### What happens before the market reaches Morata? Leganés and Alcalá de Henares are the next scheduled stops this weekend, with the market then moving to Sevilla la Nueva on May 30 and Pozuelo de Alarcón on May 31. June dates are listed for Majadahonda, El Escorial, Guadarrama, La Cabrera and Arganda del Rey before the summer break. Morata de Tajuña is scheduled for the September return, with Colmenar Viejo set to close the 2026 route in October. (eldiariodemadrid.es)