Ramón Cusiné Hill raised the blinds of his business in 1970, a small warehouse for the distribution of sugar, flour and angel hair that he delivered to bakeries and pastry shops in Vilafranca del Penedès. "In the beginning, our grandfather worked without his own van," recall Jaume and Marta Cusiné, the third generation at the head of the family business, which today bills 43 million euros and obtains a gross profit (ebitda) of 7.8% of the total of sales.
Throughout the last decades, the company has managed to gain size thanks to its commitment to diversification. With the arrival of Jaume Cusiné, from the second generation, the business began with the distribution of salt to companies in the food (meat, frozen pastries) and industrial sectors (swimming pools, chemicals, textiles).
It was a decision that in the 1990s led to the transfer of the company to a warehouse in the municipality of Olèrdola, where its headquarters still remain today, with a surface area of 17,000 m2 and a total of 72 workers. "After salt, we began to incorporate other raw materials from the food sector, such as preservatives, nuts or oils," the businessmen explain. In volume, the company assures that it has already exceeded 100,000 tons distributed, most of it salt and sugar.
The company marked another milestone in 2012, making the leap to the international market, which today represents 18% of its income. “We started with France and then we opened up to countries like Germany, Sweden, Portugal and the North African region.” Cusiné's delivery model combines its own fleet, made up of 18 trucks, with a subcontracted fleet, which accounts for 70% of the total activity.
As a result of the pandemic, the company has taken the opportunity to professionalize its structure, a commitment that has allowed it to gain efficiency and increase revenue. In the last year, the increase has been 32%, an increase that is also explained by the rise in prices that has been applied due to the inflationary context and the scarcity of raw materials.
This year, the owners rule out making projections about the evolution of the business due to the uncertainty in the markets. The company wants to continue betting on gaining efficiencies and has just invested 200,000 euros in digitizing the operations of its warehouse. The financing comes from its own resources, a growth model that it wants to preserve. Looking to the future, Cusiné prefers to continue with his family character and for this reason, he rules out the entry of new partners.
