Surrounded by a rich natural environment such as the Guadarrama mountain range on its Segovian side, even before this enclave could register its name with the highest recognition and level of protection as a national park in 2013, there are already those who have seen it. … The perfect place to open a tourist lodge and school farm. Field Gateits name, which is also a definition of what this initiative born in 1984 has offered and offers: bringing nature, the countryside and the traditional to all those who visit its facilities in El Real Sitio de San Ildefonso. Nearly four decades of ‘passion’ for nature and its original place, with a strong element of ‘educational drive’, has gained recognition As the best cooperative of the year in Castile and LeonThis coincides with the year 2025, which is celebrated as the International Year of Cooperatives.
A “leading reference” in educational tourismAnd the cultural and rural aspects of society, in which their “impact on the region” is highlighted. Because the place it is in cannot be moved, that is why it exists. In Puerta del Campo, they nourish themselves with what surrounds them and also feed themselves. “We maintain a close relationship with the local environment, working to promote local consumption and strengthen the circular economy network around its activity,” he highlights. José Angel Martin, at the head of this cooperative, A personal witness to how environmental “concern” has grown and also how the client has gone from being “someone who came to be” to someone who came “to do and feel”. “Our mission as a cooperative is to adapt to this demand,” transforming “simple housing into a sustainable educational experience deeply rooted in our environment.”
The more than two million loaves of bread they bought this time from the La Granja baker are proof of the “commitment” to “responsible and local consumption” that they offer and for which they also deserve this recognition.
The awards – which were presented a few weeks ago in Salamanca at an event chaired by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Employment, Leticia García – distinguish “the management and work of companies and people associated with cooperatives and the social economy”. “It is an award that belongs to all the partners, the workers – 35 permanent ones – and the collaborators, and of course to the thousands of families and travelers who have passed through Puerta del Campo throughout these four decades,” says José Ángel Martín, “with great satisfaction” at the recognition of “continuous work” for so long.
Why cooperative? “The project was ambitious and we needed a formula that combined several aspects, first and foremost putting people first and enhancing their capabilities and values,” the director of that company highlights the formula with which it was founded, convinced that “the cooperative model is the most appropriate: Provides unique values and benefits, Democracy, self-management, participation, solidarity, equality, sustainability and commitment to society.
The social economy is not only about numbers – although it does not forget them – but also about people. “This model brings undoubted benefits to society and to the people living in Castile and León, generating economic activity linked to the territory, equal opportunities and decent, inclusive and high-quality jobs,” highlights Councilor Leticia García, in a sector that has a “significant impact” on the labor market. It is not in vain that Castilla y León is the seventh society “with the greatest weight” of the social economy in its productive fabric, reaching 7.9 percent, above 6.3 at the national level, and with nearly 30 thousand jobs, specializing also “in areas that contribute to the composition of the population, especially in rural areas” such as care, educational services, agricultural and livestock activities. There he was also framed The work of Cooperativa Bureba EbroIn this edition, it was awarded the Best Collaborative Initiative Award. Nearly 40 years of existence cover this second-level cooperative (which emerged in 1986 from the merger of five other cooperatives) for which this recognition is “an incentive to continue improving,” highlights Miguel Ángel Moriana, among its more than 600 members.
Minister Leticia García presided over the awards ceremony in Salamanca
They came together to market their products and obtain raw materials. He highlights that they are now also carrying out field trials using certified seeds, so the specialists are “just busy growing and getting the biggest and highest quality yield.” In fact, this recognition took into account innovation projects developed internally, such as the production of barley with low CO2 emissions or sustainable agricultural wheat. Although the “generational change” in the sector is “disturbing,” Moriana appreciates it The work of the cooperative “rehabilitates the population” and generates economic activity In the region. In her case, in the Borba district of northwestern Burgos Province, there are facilities in eight locations.
According to studies promoted by the Council, the socio-economic impact amounts to 1,067 million euros annually, which represents 1.5 percent of the GDP (gross domestic product) of Castile and León. In addition to being entities that “provide greater employment stability, a smaller gender pay gap, and a greater commitment to inclusive employment.” A sector of around 5,000 companies to which the Board provides support has “increased significantly” in recent years: so far this season, more than 174 million euros have been allocated to strengthening the social economy, representing a budget increase of 49 percent.
Also among these companies is Ingemolid, It is a labor partnership that was implemented fifteen years ago by five workers. When their previous company in Valladolid went bankrupt, and they were victims of the serious crisis unleashed by the bursting of the real estate bubble, they imagined that this was not the end of their work. The “determination” of Ricardo Rodríguez, Felipe Jesús Carrascal, César Carlos Benito, José María Gómez and José Luis Iglesias, to turn the company into their own business venture, which was already consolidated, earned them recognition with the Best Company award along with other legal forms of social economy. Specializing in industrial and tooling projects for sectors such as automotive, it “has not only solved the problem of unemployment,” but has also maintained service delivery for its client portfolio. There are now ten working partners, involved in solidarity, internal democracy and ‘integration’ for people with special difficulties.
The correct name for Ireño Cuesta Modenos, With over 30 years serving the cooperative movement. The “fruitful professional and personal career” of this man from Valencia who has been president of the Lacto Union, the largest cow-breeding cooperative in the community for the past ten years, in addition to the interest in animal welfare and development of rural areas, has played a “key” role in “strengthening” commercial and financial relations that has also earned him the distinction of awards recognizing the work of a whole range of “heavyweights” in the economy in which only numbers do not count.