More than 40 years ago, neighborhood associations in the Vallès Occidental region began to self-organize to guarantee dignified burials by adjusting prices. It was the early 1980s, in the midst of the industrial restructuring crisis, and many families could no longer afford the expense of funerals, a custom born of necessity. Joaquín Nogués, current member of the Badia del Vallès Funeral Committee, remembers this. As member number 2, he is the most senior member among the 6,000 members. Adding to the difficulty of paying the installments charged by funeral insurance companies was popular discontent with the "poor practices and poor service" of the local funeral home. The late José Toro, then a member of the neighborhood association, had a lightbulb moment and suggested they bypass the standard system and set up their own funeral services.