FRANCE – Garnica has been awarded Best Spanish Company in France in 2019 by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in France, (COCEF) as part of the 133rd COCEF awards.

The award was presented to Pedro Garnica, Garnica’s chairman, by Javier Burgos, head of the Commercial Office of Spain in France at the gala dinner held in Paris, in the presence of the Ambassador of Spain and other leading political, business, cultural and financial figures.

Garnica’s award is in recognition of its experience and investment in France, where its plywood production plant has been in operation in Samazan since 2010. The company will shortly be opening a second plant in Troyes, in the Grand Est region of north-east France. When collecting the award, Pedro Garnica said that the company had been creating value for society for 75 years by transforming poplar raw material into high-quality products that can be used for many applications.

In his thank-you speech, Pedro Garnica stressed that poplar plantations are a source of sustainability: “these types of plantations are very beneficial in combating climate change, because poplars capture CO2 from the atmosphere and promote biodiversity in the areas where they are planted, as well as providing rural employment”. He also reaffirmed Garnica’s commitment to France, saying that “Garnica came to France to create value by transforming a raw material into high-quality plywood products that can be used in many different ways”.

Pedro Garnica added that “France has exceptional climatic conditions for planting these types of trees and we try to locate our centers close to where the raw material is produced in order to facilitate the transformation process”. He also highlighted “the positive experience that Garnica has had in France, specifically in Samazan” and added that “the project for the installation of a plant in Troyes is one of the best solutions for Garnica’s global growth aspirations”.

The Spanish Chamber of Commerce in France (COCEF) was created in Paris in 1886, and its goal is to promote, within the framework of the European Union, the development of economic, commercial, tourism and cultural relations between France and Spain. COCEF helps companies and institutions from both countries and provides them with a wide range of commercial and legal information for the development of their activities in both countries.