The Spanish company Eurogloria, a footwear manufacturer for more than 30 years, was one of the protagonist of the last edition of Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags. One of its brands, Plakton, has sandals made from natural materials, cork and rubber, among its flagship products. Valentìn Berbel, one of the founders and COO of the company, talks about the company and the sustainability of products that, from a small Spanish region, have now conquered the world.

Let's talk about the market. Are some countries more important than others in your commercial strategy?

"At the moment we sell almost worldwide. Certainly there are some markets that we prefer over others, such as Europe, with countries like France (40%), Italy (30%), Germany, England, Greece, Cyprus. And then again the United States, where we have also opened a sales office, Australia and South America, where we have recently started a distribution network."

Ethical and sustainable production is now inevitable for those operating in the footwear sector: how are you working on this?

"The main materials we use to produce our sandals are cork and cacciù, both of which are totally natural. The cork comes from cork oak, which is decorticated in a way that respects natural rhythms (the plant completely regenerates its bark in about ten years). A material, therefore, that is 100% natural. As is caucciù, a natural rubber produced from different plant species. The combination of these materials makes our collections sustainable in themselves. In addition, we also use a lot of recycled materials in our production, in particular plastic recovered from cleaning the oceans”.

Based on the products that buyers demand most, what do you think will be the trends for next spring/summer?

"The product must be sustainable and eco-friendly: this is the request we receive most often from our customers. In order to give footwear a fashionable look, we have decided to characterise them with colour, without ever losing sight of sustainability, which remains the main focus of our products for the next coming seasons too".

How important is to participate in Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags for you and how did this edition go?

"We have been participating in the event for more than 25 years. It is the first trade fair of each season at which we present our new collections and, therefore, has always been of vital importance and will continue to be so in the near future. Compared to the previous two pandemic years, the June edition went very well indeed. With a pleasant surprise, in addition to the already established customers, we also had the opportunity to meet several new buyers, particularly from Europe and the United States."