The town of La Villa de La Orotava is the Canarian municipality with the most centenary companies, as highlighted by the City Council. In order to showcase and disseminate their history, trajectory, and “significant contribution to the development of the local economy,” the Council has chosen to honour these businesses, which total 14, with a book and an exhibition. These entities have received various distinctions, among which stand out the Gold Medal of the municipality and the Gold Medal of the island of Tenerife awarded by the Cabildo. Now, with this initiative, the local Corporation of La Orotava aims for the history of these businesses to reach the general public and “endure over time.”
“La Orotava has been and is a reference in the commercial field in the Northern area and even on the island and in Canarias. Proof of this is that today this locality has fourteen companies with over a century behind them, something unusual in the rest of the Archipelago’s municipalities and even in the national territory. The businesses in La Villa have managed to modernise and adapt to current times, without losing their essence,” highlighted the Mayor of La Orotava, Francisco Linares, during the presentation of the book and the exhibition Centenary Businesses of La Orotava. More than a century with you.
According to the Councillor of Commerce, Deisy Ramos, the informative guide and the exhibition with four totems gather information and peculiarities of the current centenary businesses in the Villa. These include Calzados Afonso (1904), Ferretería Orotava (1904), Molino de Chano (built in the early 16th century), Bar Chucho-Casa Emiliano (1889), Farmacia Fuentes (1879), La Venta Nueva (1918), Molino La Máquina (16th century), Tejidos García Feo (1903), Confitería y Café Taoro (1916), La Fast (1914), Almacenes Herreros (1898), Kiosko la Constitución (1916), Panadería Santiago y Bar Fariña (1920).
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Treasures
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“They are all treasures of the business fabric of La Orotava. Businesses with a lot of history, family-owned and with personality, true to principles and values that are passed down from generation to generation, rooted in the land and with a strong bond with their surroundings.” The municipal initiative also includes some “short videos” in which the main protagonists of these centenary businesses in La Orotava are given a voice, “a reflection of the work of many other businesses in the Village where familiarity, proximity, commitment, work, perseverance, effort, struggle, and the ability to overcome difficulties and tough times throughout their trajectory are paramount.”
