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• Tanneries

General info

With its more than 125 years of history, Curtidos Badia is a reference company in the international panorama of the chrome tanned bovine leather. Supplier of quality articles to the main global fashion brands, the secret behind the recent success of this company is due to the futuristic vision of the present Managing Director, Mr. Xavier Badia. In 1997, and at the age of 23, Mr. Xavier Badia took the reins of the family business to apply an innovative strategy based upon sustainability and cooperation. This generational change and new management represents a “before and after” of a millennium old craftsmanship in Igualada (Barcelona).

Established in 1889, Curtidos Badia is a great success story. Like most of the tanneries at Igualada, Curtidos Badia was specialized in vegetable tanning process to produce leathers for the footwear sole industry. The panorama changed in the 1950s, when chrome tanning was introduced, positioning Curtidos Badia as one of the pioneering companies that implemented the new process. Nevertheless, the company had to “reinvent” itself, especially with the appearance of the Common Market as European competitors swamped the Spanish footwear industry with vegetable tanned leathers for soles.  Four years focused in perfecting and improving their articles paid off when Mr. Badia decided to enter the Italian market, a powerful tanning country.  Today this is just another milestone, but in the nineties, it was a real challenge.

 An important part of the corporate success of Curtidos Badia is due to the workers and their capacity to respond to the daily challenges. Management also reminds them of the moral importance of recognizing the hard work undertaken and the opportunities offered by their predecessors to carry on building the company.

The mechanization of a great number of the processes has changed the profile of the company, but unlike others, it still enjoys a high level of craftsmanship. Their tanning processes require the sensibility and touch of expert fingers. Only by touching the leathers can a professional sense whether the things are going right or whether something has to be modified. 

Curtidos Badia works with small batches and different process combinations, thus each operator must have a clear idea of how his activity influences the end-product. Working with high quality brands means that all Badia bovine leathers must comply with very strict norms with regard to color and color solidity, resistance to rubbing and final aspect.  Never losing sight of quality, innovation and customer service, and respecting the environment whilst responding to the continuous changes of an evolving market, Curtidos Badia has a loyal client portfolio that grows every season, guaranteeing a great platform for a possible fifth Badia generation. 

Today, Curtidos Badia is considered one of the most avant-garde tanneries in the world, with a solid and promising future ahead.

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