Lleida family businesses were in the spotlight at the XXXVII Pirineu Summit, where four firms from education, viticulture, construction and pork production set out a shared message, quality, market presence and people remain central to their work.
Carles Camí, founder of Monlau, said vocational training is closely linked to business needs. He described the company as a family project now moving through its third generation, with a fourth already preparing to join, and called for stronger public-private cooperation. For more on local business coverage, see our news tag page.
Tomàs Cusiné reviewed the growth of his wine group, which began when his father bought the Castell del Remei estate in 1982. He said the purchase of Cérvoles Celler in 1997 marked Catalonia's first mountain viticulture project, then added that he launched an independent project in Vilosell in 2003 and later expanded to Cara Nord in Conca de Barberà. In 2014, he regained ownership of Castell del Remei and Cérvoles, and today the wines are sold in around 30 countries across four continents.
Patricia Romero, CEO of Romero Polo, said the company started in her father's living room and grew into one of Catalonia's major construction firms. She said people and teams are the company's main pillars, and argued for emotional intelligence over artificial intelligence. Until 2010, the firm's market was limited to Lleida, but a fall in public investment pushed it to expand into Barcelona, Tarragona and Aragon with its own teams. Romero Polo now includes more than 20 companies and has a stake in a firm in Andorra.
Dolors Puyol, CEO of Premier Pigs, defended the pork sector's role in the economy and challenged the Fènix report. She said the activity creates quality jobs with skilled staff and good salaries. Premier Pigs bought its first farm in 1992 and now reports annual turnover of €400 million, works with more than 300 farms and has 150,000 integrated fattening places. Puyol said the company aims for steady, secure growth and cuts its environmental footprint by 4.5% to 5% a year through solar panels, biomass boilers and the reuse of slurry as fertiliser.
Joan Talarn, president of the Provincial Council, opened the round table and said Lleida's project is not about resisting, but about leading. He added that if the area wants to lead, it must work together, and pointed to the importance of the G10 group.
