When starting the project for the book celebrating 150 years of Manxa, the current company president, Joan Bartomeu Agustí, decided to go to the Garrotxa County Archive to confirm Manxa’s founding date. Unexpectedly, he found that the first industrial contributions record dates back to December 1872, four years earlier than we had always thought!
In 1900, Joan Agustí Surroca acquired a locksmith shop in Olot founded in 1872 and owned by Rafael Casanova, popularly known as “manxa.” His son, Bartomeu Agustí Trilla, took over and expanded the business with a hardware store. During the postwar period, his son Joan Agustí Reixach continued transforming and expanding the activity beyond Olot. In 1977, the fourth generation joined with Joan Bartomeu Agustí Alfara, who brought new ideas and officially established Manxa as the group’s name, as it had been popularly known in the city for more than a century. In 2020, his son Pol Agustí Olivas assumed the general management, representing the fifth family generation leading the company.
Currently, Manxa has centers in Banyoles, Riudellots de la Selva, and Castellbisbal. The company is in the midst of a growth process, with a clear focus on the Barcelona area, where 70% of Catalonia’s added value is concentrated. In this context, the opening of the iron center in Castellbisbal (2015) stands out, as well as the planned opening of a new industrial supply store scheduled for January 2026. At present, retail sales represent approximately 10% of the activity, with the business primarily focused on the distribution of hardware products for industry and steel materials.
