THE
COOPERATIVE
The beginnings, 1919-1932
It was the year 1919 when La Fraternal de L‘Albagés, was born, formed by twelve founding members, men with a vision for the future and, for that time, revolutionary. In the first year of the Cooperative, the olives were taken to be pressed at the Mas Roig mill. Later, he Cooperative bought the presses from this mill to install them in ours. Putting an oil mill into operation requires a significant investment. Our ancestors did not have a large capital. The first members did not start the venture to make money, but rather had to mortgage themselves, requesting a loan of 200.000 pesetas from the Mancomunitat de Catalunya to start up the Cooperative's first oil mill. These founding members had to guarantee the loan by risking their personal assets. Slowly, new members joined, until reaching 117 on the day 28 November the year 1932.
The Difficult Post-War Period
In 1936 the Spanish Civil War broke out, marking a hard and difficult time for everyone. Private property was abolished, and the Cooperative, requisitioned, became a food distribution center for the people of the town. The oil mill stopped operating, and the land was left uncultivated . The huts on the rural estates became shelters where the rural population sought to avoid the bombings that occurred in L’Albagés, as well as in other towns and cities across Catalonia and Spain. In 1939, after the war ended, efforts were made to restart the Cooperative. The leadership positions were appointed directly by the authorities of the new regime. The Cooperative members still had to repay the initial loan of 200.000 pesetas. In 1943, to settle this debt, they had to sell the best press they had and mortgage the Cooperative for the amount of 25.000 pesetas. It was not until 1947 that olives were milled again and oil was produced.
The Cooperative Grows
From 1947 to 1957 the number of members was around one hundred. Starting in 1957 the Cooperative grew significantly, eventually reaching a total of 130 members. In 1959 an attempt was made to purchase a tractor for the first time, though this was not possible until 1960. Around 1960 discussions began about forming a Credit Section, which became a reality in 1963. During the 1960s, an expansion of the mill was approved. The existing seven oil vats were repaired, and four new ones were built, with a capacity of 250.000 kg of oil. The Cooperative's warehouse was also expanded, and two presses, an extracting machine, and a crusher for olive pits were purchased. The Cooperative continued to grow, and in 1966 new renovations were carried out: construction of a new "oil room", installation of a centrifuge and two new presses, and expansion of the machine room. In 1969 new purifiers were installed, and the street scale was put in place.
The Fruits of a Great Harvest
The 1970-1971 season ended with a disastrous frost, which damaged the olive trees and ruined subsequent harvests. In the early 1970s, the Spanish government banned the export of olive oil. Additionally, with the customs tariffs imposed by the Common Market on non-member countries like Spain at the time, selling oil to Italy, a traditional buyer of our oil, became increasingly difficult. The domestic market offered lower prices than the international one, forcing olive oil producers to sell their product at a loss. In 1976 la Fraternal regained stability and reintroduced Catalan in all its written records and documents.
Modernization
In 1982 the new continuous milling system was installed with the acquisition of a Pierals machine. Crushers were also built, and olives began to be weighed in bulk. Traditional methods of olive storage in sacks were abandoned. In 1985 the laborious task of manually sorting olives at home was “eliminated” with the introduction of a cleaning machine that separates olives from twigs. The "Borges Blanques", Designation of Origin (now "Protected Designation of Origin Les Garrigues"), installed a yield-testing machine at our Cooperative, which is used for our own olive batches.
Entry into the Common Market
On January 1, 1986, with Spain's entry into the European Economic Community (EEC), export prospects to Europe improved thanks to the elimination of customs tariffs. Additionally, the EEC guaranteed a minimum price for olive oil, shielding it from fluctuations due to good or bad harvests and reducing dependence on bulk buyers' offers. During the initial phase of integration, farmers began receiving production subsidies, and later, consumer subsidies were introduced, This facilitated the installation of a manual packaging machine at the Cooperative and the adaptation of a space into an agricultural supply shop. Entry into the Common Market brought significant changes, including, The implementation of VAT, The introduction of computerized accounting systems at the Cooperative, The shift to non-reusable plastic containers for oil packaging; Plastic jerrycans, which were previously refilled indiscriminately, were phased out, and the old traditional storage tools fell into disuse.
Innovation
In 1991 new stainless steel purifiers were installed, an electronic scale was set up to weigh the olives, and the hoppers were divided into four compartments to speed up the olive milling process as quickly as possible after harvest.
Record Harvest
The 1992/1993 harvest was one of the best in the Cooperative's history, with a production of 1.800.407 kg of olives. In 1997 the Cooperative replaced its first continuous milling machine with one of higher capacity (80.000 kg of olives in 24 hours) and two-phase milling. Striving to respect the environment as much as possible, the Cooperative began using recyclable five-liter plastic containers. During the 2007/2008 season, the Cooperative introduced two-liter containers with side handles, prioritizing convenience and health, especially for homemakers.
The Terrible Frost of the First Winter of the 21st Century
The 2001/2002, season, which had started with very promising prospects, brought extreme cold temperatures, with snow and frost from 15 December onward . The temperature fluctuations ended up damaging part of the harvest and caused irreparable harm to the olive trees; , 16% had to be cut down to the ground, , 70% were pruned at the trunk, and 14% underwent severe pruning. This disaster made it clear that, despite technical advancements, farmers remain at the mercy of “the whims of nature. For five years,”. the Cooperative, like all others in Les Garrigues, handled applications for aid approved by the Department of Agriculture of the Generalitat to mitigate the economic effects of the frosts, It also processed aid requests from the Department of Labor of the Generalitat to support the entity's operations. The 2001 frosts resulted in a complete failure of the 2002/2003 harvest. The mill could not open, and the devastation was so severe that many members did not harvest enough olives even to produce oil for their own consumption.
The Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy
In 2005 the E.E.C. . established a new support system for olive oil producers called the single payment scheme, which provides aid per hectare of olive groves based on previous years' production history. In 2001 the state agency ENESA-Agroseguro introduced the option to insure olive harvests, including drought risk. Our Cooperative, in collaboration with ACTEL, has been one of the most proactive in adopting this measure: , 95% of members now contract this insurance. In 2006 the Cooperative's bylaws were updated to align with the Cooperatives Law of the Government of Catalonia. A historic milestone was reached when women assumed representative positions on the Governing Council for the first time in 2003.
The Future
Since its creation, the Cooperative has evolved and undergone significant changes; it has gone from providing its members with straw for mules or seed potatoes for vegetable gardens to now having the sections we have mentioned. In the near future, the construction of the Segarra-Garrigues canal and the L'Albagés reservoir will result in the loss of some of the rural estates attached to the Cooperative and the possible installation of supplementary irrigation for agricultural lands, which are almost exclusively dedicated to olive cultivation. Changes in the lives of farmers and members have driven the Cooperative's considerable evolution, always thanks to the efforts of all the men and women who have believed in the power of cooperativism as a tool to face the future with optimism. The challenge of our Cooperative is the same as that of farming communities: to earn a dignified living from our work, rom the income we obtain by selling products grown and processed with modern techniques, mechanization, market expansion through new technologies, environmental respect, and irrigation with maximum water-use efficiency... all without forgetting what our ancestors taught us: that the main tool to overcome difficulties and build the future is love for the land and our work, the joy of waking up in the morning and feeling that our workplace is all the terrain within our sight, that our hands perform the miracle of giving life to nature, that our sweat contributes to providing people with healthy food, that our profession keeps the countryside clean and alive, the Earth would be a wasteland and hunger would be universal, la Terra seria un erm i la fam seria universal. As cooperativists, our strength and our passion lie in continuing this work together, allowing the diversity of our farms, characters, and opinions to give us the strength needed to jointly build an economically and socially prosperous future.
Presidents
1919-1921 Enric Bar Cuadrat
1921-1924 Francesc Tost Cuadrat
1924-1928 Hosep Rey Rey
1928-1930 Ramon Iglesisas Sardà
1930-1931 Francesc Tost i Cuadrat
1931-1932 Miquel Mor Pujol
1932-1934 Rossend Iglesisas Sardà
1934-1936 Ramon Iglesas Ramon
1936-1938 Josep Solé Cuadrat
1938-1938 Ramon Iglesias Ramon
1939-1943 Josep Oriol Cuadrat1943-1947 Agripí Oriol Monné
1947-1948 Miquel Oriol Donés
1948-1951 Ramon Seró Oriol (Jaumesa)
1951-1951 Josep Seró Serra
1951-1961 Manel Ramon Rius
1961-1963 Josep Seró Serra
1963-1965 Josep Donés Seró
1965-1966 Alfons Mor Piñol
1966-1967 Josep Seró Serra
1967-1968 Josep Donés Seró
1968-1978 Josep Anton Seró Iglesias
1978-1980 Josep Iglesas Solé
1980-1984 Ramon Ramon Seró
1984-1991 Emili Roigé Iglesias
1991-1994 Josep Iglesias Solé
1994-2003 Emili Roigé Iglesias
2003-2009 Fidel Bardají Mor
2009-2013 Josep Marcel Alentà Pelegrí
2013-2017 Josep Maria Nogue Güell
Current President: Josep Marcel Alentà Pelegrí
Facilities
Taste our oil
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