Every day, as the crowds return from Alicante’s famous city beach (Postiguet), the first opportunity to buy a refreshing ice cream or a cocktail presents itself as they approach the oldest ice cream kiosk in Alicante. Hundreds of people stop to buy an ice cream from Peret kiosk before continuing their journey, strolling slowly back along the beautiful palm tree lined Explanada.
Probably, almost no one will give it a second thought, but this little kiosk has been serving the people of Alicante and it’s visitors for over a hundred years. In fact, it’s quite unlikely that there is anyone alive in Alicante today that can remember a time when the kiosk wasn’t situated on the end of the Explanada adjacent to the Plaza Puerta Del Mar.
The Peret kiosk started life in 1916. Originally intended to be a flower kiosk but that plan was short lived. A few weeks later, a local man, Pedro Fuster Iborra, took over the kiosk and started selling nuts and horchata. Pedro was also known as “Pere el cacahuero” (Pere the peanut man). Over time the kiosk became known as the Peret kiosk.
The Fuster family continued to run the business after Pedro died in 1923. The family managed to retain the business despite its near closure during the Spanish civil war. Homemade Ice creams were introduced after the end of the civil war around 1939 along with coffee, slushes and liqueurs, which is pretty much the same offering that it has today.
In 2015 the license for the kiosk, after having been granted during the 1950’s, ended and, as the law demanded, the license went out to municipal tender. There were 9 applications to run the kiosk, but the winner was a company called Kioskperetia. The company was owned by the Fuster family so they managed to continue their unbroken period of the management of the kiosk. Other people have joined the business since, but it is essentially the same company and family business that has been running since 1916.
The Peret kiosk boasts a welcoming terrace where you can sit day or night and watch the constant stream of people coming from and going to the beach while you enjoy an ice cream or a coffee. The horchata and ice cream from Peret’s is world famous (they still make their own) and you can expect to pay a premium price for the pleasure you might decide it’s worth paying for the Privilege of sitting for a few minutes and letting your imagination wander to all the stories of all the people that have sat just where you are right now doing the same thing for the past 100 years.
