For the love of an empanada

The story of Milán Dopico is a love story that began in 2009, when David Bonilla and Candela Milán Dopico met. At this precise moment, a spark was ignited that would fuel a long-term relationship, starting with the birth of their daughter Irene.

While Candela and David were enjoying their romance, a parallel story of passion was blossoming, that of David for Galicia, its cuisine, products and, of course, its empanadas. And, at the crowning moment of this passion, destiny intervened and the couple, which had moved to Madrid, met Gloria, a Galician from Viveiro, Lugo, with a small empanada workshop.
David and Candela fell madly in love with Gloria’s empanadas. They were the best empanadas that they had ever tried and when this Galician told them about the difficulties she was having in selling her wares, they decided to do everything in their power to help her. To do so, they created an Internet brand that would further dignify this product.

David and Candela then decided to leave their respective jobs and dive headfirst into selling this typical product from Galicia online. And thus Milán Dopico was born, with the couple contributing the new technology and Gloria, as always, making her empanadas.Savory varieties include tuna, meat, morcilla (blood sausage), cod, xoubas (small sardines), vegetables, lomo (pork loin), bacon and chorizo, mussels, bacon with peppers and wild mushrooms, chicken, gulas (fake baby eels) and shrimp; while the sweet empanadas are made with cheese, raspberries and apples. All of these empanadas are characterized by their delicate dough and fillings made with top-quality ingredients, so abundant that – at 25 centimeters in diameter – each empanada weighs more than a kilogram.

“The elaboration process is totally artisanal” explains Candela, “in fact, we have a restricted production capacity. Today we are limited to a maximum of 25 empanadas a day, because they are made to order in the moment. We covey the orders to Gloria and she gets to work. This is why we close our order period at 2pm”.The packaging is another one of Milán Dopico’s most characteristic features. The thickness of the cardboard boxes was designed to protect their delicious contents from any possible problems. Each empanada is wrapped in wax paper so that it will release grease, and padded to prevent it from moving. Additionally, the box’s interior has a type of cushioning that keeps the empanada from hitting its sides. This insures that the client receives it in perfect condition.

Little by little and mouth to mouth (no pun intended), Milán Dopico’s love for these empanadas has gone viral on the Internet: “The product is a hit and people are recommending our empanadas to others. Our idea is to grow slowly, which is what we’re doing”, explains Candela. Milán Dopico. Peace, love and empanadas.

If you want to try any of these fantastics empanadas you can buy  them online at

Photo: César G. Truco