Riba Guixà was established in August 1932 by Mr. Joan Riba Guixà, himself a tanner’s son from the industrial town of Igualada. He originally settled in the nearby Caldes de Montbui after an apprentice period making vegetable tanned sole leather for his father.
His first years, immediately before and after the Spanish Civil War, were all but easy—but his skill and determination helped him become a prominent tanner in the Spanish leather industry.
In the 1960s, Riba Guixà started working on Spanish Entrefino lambskin for the clothing industry. Before that, the company had mostly processed leather for making gloves—still one of our leading products.
Eventually, a third generation, embodied in Mr. Francisco Riba Godó, provided Riba Guixà with the vision leading to our current scale. Mr. Francisco Riba first focused on foreign markets and started serving half-processed leather (pickel, wet blue and crust) of Spanish Entrefino lambskin. Riba Guixà is now a leading company in both finished and half-processed leather.
In the mid 1980s, Mr. Joan Riba Antó joined the company, followed by his brothers Francesc and Carlos, representing our fourth generation in the leather tanning trade. Since the end of the 90s, with the incorporation of Mr. Lluís Balsells to the executive board, Riba Guixà has continued to honor the legacy of Mr. Francisco Riba Godó, introducing our company in the most demanding quality and fashion-forward markets in the leather industry.