The Círculo Ecuestre hosted a new dialogue in its series on family businesses, this time entitled "From Milk to Fiber: The Story of Sertram." The panel featured Jordi Balcells, Director of Investments and Strategy for the Sertram Group, in conversation with Helena Torras, a club member, investor, and independent director. The session was presented by José Mª Cardellach, a member of the Círculo Ecuestre Executive Committee.
The event offered a journey through the evolution of a Barcelona family that, from its origins in dairy production in 1908, has managed to reinvent itself to lead a sector as strategic as telecommunications today.
"It all started with a cow in 1908, in a farmhouse by the sea, where the port of Barcelona now stands," Balcells recalled, emphasizing the pioneering spirit of his ancestors. From that dairy farm located on the Cal Magí farmhouse in La Marina, 'Leche Balcells' was born, and later ATO, a company that became the world's fourth-largest producer with more than 1,200 employees and 3,600 supplier farms.
The innovative spirit of this family was pioneered by Rufina Rabanete, who promoted the creation of a bottling plant. Her decision, guided by the values of "seny i rauxa," allowed the company to grow and consolidate itself in an increasingly competitive market.
However, with the arrival of private labels, new European regulations, and pressure from large international groups, the family decided to sell the dairy business in the late 1980s. It was then that a new era began: their foray into the world of telecommunications.
"Where there was once milk, now there is fiber, but the entrepreneurial spirit and values that guide us remain the same ones instilled in us by the family," Balcells noted. Led by their cousin, Tomás Domínguez, an engineer trained in the United States, the family championed the liberalization of telecommunications in Spain and has built critical infrastructure for operators in Barcelona.
Today, the Sertram technology complex is the main neutral interconnection point in Catalonia, with more than 100 telecommunications operators present at its facilities. It is an example of how a visionary family, deeply connected to Barcelona, has been able to adapt to the times without losing its essence.
Without a doubt, Sertram's history demonstrates that family businesses not only build solid business projects but also transmit values that endure over time. Their adaptability, their vision for the future, and their deep roots in the land are a reminder that a company's strength lies, to a large extent, in the coherence and continuity of those who have made it possible, generation after generation.