40 years of success and learning from shared experiences is more than reason enough for huge celebration, especially when considering that less than 30% of family businesses survive into their second or third generations. RAFESA is certainly not one of those companies that fall by the wayside over time. In fact, this company has a bright future ahead of it thanks to the stability provided by a solid team of professionals who combine experience with the knowledge acquired by Rafael Escribano (RAFESA founder), the commitment and passion of Anna Escribano (his daughter and current CEO) and the energy and drive of its Operations Director, Santiago Sepúlveda, who also represents the next generation to lead the now benchmark packaging company.
Switching from a linear model to a circular one, such as the model promoted by RAFESA, is the only way to guarantee another 40 years of faultless progress.
To celebrate this incredible milestone, the company organised a gala event to not only commemorate four decades of history but also to pay tribute to the cross-cutting values that have enabled RAFESA to continue blazing new trails, successfully overcome each new obstacle encountered on the way and tackle every single challenge it faces in good health and with outstanding projects. Held at the Badalona Convention and Business Centre (BCIN), the event was attended by a large number of companies, partners, suppliers, employees, clients and friends, many friends, that RAFESA has made over the course of its long history.
The 40th anniversary of RAFESA was also the perfect excuse for a face-to-face gathering after nearly two unprecedented years of working remotely.
The occasion was also used to look back and take stock from the years past via an emotional presentation in which RAFESA relived some of the most important moments from its history without ignoring the tough times or the most difficult circumstances. It cannot be denied that the latter have also left their mark on the way this company operates and have helped transform it into one of the most reliable and committed players in the packaging sector today.
Looking back and forward
Anna Escribano, Rafael Escribano and Santiago Sepúlveda
There was no need to review the highlights from such a complex year as 2022, “a challenging year in every sense of the word”. The lack of any calm after the storm caused by the pandemic – something we were all looking forward to – was nothing but proof of the fact that no year eases back on that demand for the highest levels of effort, energy, capacity for change, adaptability and a clear focus on customer needs and, of course, the planet.
On behalf of the entire family and professional team at RAFESA, Anna Escribano wished to highlight enthusiasm as one of the characteristic traits of the company throughout its history. The team is hugely passionate about the cosmetics and perfumes sector, and is grateful for being able to express its vision and knowledge to the world. That is the best way to neutralise any onslaught, whether it comes in the form of a pandemic, inflation or a supply crisis. Honesty, anticipation and humility have revealed themselves as essential in tackling these challenges and guaranteeing not only survival but also a role as a strategic player and reliable partner in the market.
The 40th anniversary of RAFESA was also the perfect excuse for a face-to-face gathering after nearly two unprecedented years of working remotely. The desire for physical contact and to raise a glass in person was palpable, and the Badalona Convention and Business Centre bore witness to that. Something else that was eagerly anticipated and very well received was the talk given by Fabián Villena, a conference speaker and trainer who specialises in Smart Positive Attitude.
The role of happiness
Fabián Villena gave a moving speech, in which he took account of everything mentioned so far. “There is no greater source of pride for a mother or father than to hear their daughter talk like that about them”, he told his audience. His speech also encouraged reflection after inviting those attending the event to reach their own conclusions about the space we make for happiness in our day-to-day lives. “Are we happy because we smile or do we smile because we’re happy?”, he asked.
There is no question that the 40th anniversary of RAFESA was the grand finale to a year in which the sector was finally able to reconnect with itself, whether that be at meetings, personal visits, trade shows, forums, talks, courses, Q&A sessions or award ceremonies, and this celebration will go down as one of the most important events of the year.
The opportunity to have so many professionals gathered in one place was used to strengthen the path embarked upon by the company some years ago: the path of sustainability from a holistic perspective in which everyone must join forces and assume responsibilities. Refill is one of the most recent and tangible expressions of that journey; a jar resulting from the perfect combination of luxury and sustainability that meets the demands of a climate emergency context that RAFESA aims to tackle head on.
In fact, switching from a linear model to a circular one, such as the model promoted by Refill and other trends being developed by the company (recycled materials, mono-material containers, etc.), is the only way to guarantee another 40 years of faultless progress. That is the plan. How? Besides a far-reaching change of mentality and behaviour, the company is fully aware that this level of awareness will need to be passed on to consumers and all other stakeholders. However, as was made very clear at the event, this company has the best possible team for getting that done and will approach 2023 with the greatest of ambition to do just that.
