Our history
1876
How it all began…
The history of Anís de Raza dates back to 1943, but to find out more about it, you have to go back to 1876, when the family began to take up the art of distillation, creating a brand and giving birth to a distillery that is still one of the Rute companies today, founded by Rafael Reyes Rodríguez.
1900
Beginning of the 20th century
At the beginning of the 20th century, Rafael Reyes, together with his son Antonio Reyes and son-in-law Diego Molina Rueda, formed a company called ‘Rafael Reyes e Hijos’, from which Rafael Reyes Rodríguez retired at the beginning of the 20th century and his son Rafael Reyes Jiménez took over his share, and the company was renamed ‘Hijos de Rafael Reyes’.
Shortly afterwards, partner Antonio Reyes died and the inheritors claimed their share, which was paid to them, leaving only Diego and Rafael as partners.
1940
A time of change
This association lasted until 1940, when it was dissolved and the properties were divided up, as the association owned a large rural estate. The Reyes family kept the distillery and the Molina family the estate.
In accordance with the established statutes, the outgoing part of the company was not allowed to set up as a manufacturer for three years.
During this period, the Molina family set up a small distillery in Calle Fresno, in a small house next to the guitarrilla. At that time, the brand marketed was Anís la Cibeles, owned by Juan Ferrándi.
1943
Birth of Anís de Raza
Three years later, Diego Molina Rueda set up a new distillery for his son, Diego Molina Reyes, at Calle Colón 6 and Calle Fresno 51. Although he had studied at university, Diego Molina Reyes had always been very close to his father and had been able to get to know the business in depth, which led him to choose this one.
Initially, two brands were registered: Anís del Nieto, under the name ‘Diego Molina Reyes y Nieto de Rafael Reyes Rodríguez’, and Anís de Raza.
Due to various family conflicts and interests, the Anís del Nieto trademark had to be withdrawn, which prevented both families from using it, given that after the grandfather’s death either party could use it by hereditary right. As a result, this trademark and the trade name ‘Nieto de Rafael Reyes Rodríguez’ were relinquished.
Following this relinquishment, only the Anís de Raza trademark remains, under the trade name ‘Diego Molina Reyes, third generation of manufacturers’. This third generation was obtained by Rafael Reyes Rodríguez and Diego Molina Moreno, father of Diego Molina Rueda, who was also a manufacturer for a time until the end of 1890.
Anís de Raza was founded in 1943 with a great deal of strength and enthusiasm for making a name for itself on the national scene. Right from the start, the company began advertising in the press, on the radio and on trams in various towns, and established sales routes that mainly covered Andalusia, Extremadura, Ciudad Real and the Levante region. Areas which, thanks to this initial work, remain sales routes today.
The beginnings were not easy, as Spain had just gone through the civil war and was experiencing many difficulties and economic problems, but the situation recovered in the fifties and improved considerably in the sixties, with the growth of the economy, thanks above all to the construction sector.
1974
4th generation
At the end of the 1960s, Diego Molina Reyes’ son, Diego Molina Pérez, gave up his studies and became close to his father and the company, which he got to know in all areas, from sales and distribution to company administration and distillation.
Time passed and, in 1974, his father retired due to age and passed the baton to his son, handing over to what would become the fourth generation of manufacturers.
At this time, the distillery took on a new impetus to increase its expansion, which resulted in the hiring of sales staff to cover a larger sales territory more adequately.
As a result, the existing factory began to become too small and an adjacent house, Calle Colón 8, belonging to the heirs of Rafael Ariza, had to be acquired for use as a warehouse.
1980
New factory
However, Raza continued to grow and the factory became too small, leading in 1980 to a move to a 1300 square metre site, inherited by Diego Molina Pérez, where the distillery still stands today, and in 1983 it was incorporated as a limited company.
1990
The 1990s
With the arrival of the 1990s, aniseed consumption fell and new export drinks appeared, contributing to this decline, which in turn led to a drop in income. The emergence of these drinks meant having to compete with the big international brands, which, coupled with the high tax burden as taxes were continually increased, made it very difficult to maintain the business.
Despite this, Raza continues to forge ahead, benefiting from the demise of other Ruteña brands that have not been able to withstand the pressure or have not found generations to continue running the businesses, and because the Rute brand has always been valued for its quality, enabling it to compete with the big multinationals.
2020
5th generation
Today, history is repeating itself, and in 2017, after completing his teaching studies, José Manuel Molina, son of Diego Molina Pérez, joined the company and began to get to know it in all its aspects. He was given full administrative powers in 2020, the year in which, for health reasons, he remained at the helm in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
José Manuel Molina represents the fifth generation of the company. He is determined to develop the brand throughout Spain and, in the medium term, to make it known internationally. To achieve this, the brand’s image is being modernised, digitalisation is being promoted, new products are being launched with a view to creating new consumers, and work is being done to improve production and profitability. At the same time, we are also investing in a range of top-of-the-range products that will open up many new opportunities for us.
2023
… today
In 2021, the company registered the trademark ‘Mezquita gin córdvba, una ginebra de Raza’ to start distilling gin.
However, the tradition of distillation, the care taken in the process and the meticulous selection of raw materials will always be maintained, and the company will continue to focus on high-quality aniseed-based products.