Isabel Martínez Martínez: "Oral sources are important because there were years when there wasn't much documentation."

Vermuts Miró is the subject of the first volume in the Business History Library, a project launched by MaserGrup. The book, written by historian Isabel Martínez (Cambrils, 1973), traces the evolution of Vermuts Miró from its founding in 1914 to its acquisition by MaserGrup in 2020, placing the brand's trajectory within the broader history of wine production. The book will be presented on April 7th at Casa Navàs.

How did you approach preparing the book?

— It has been a long process. The initial proposal came to me in 2021, and I've been combining it with other research projects. As with any research of this nature, it was important to familiarize myself with the bibliography and newspaper and book sources on the topic, although the central focus of the research was the Miró family's company. Having so many diverse sources has made it a rewarding experience.

What were these sources?

— The Baix Camp Regional Archive holds company documents, such as blueprints, as does the Priorat Regional Archive, due to their time there. There was documentation closely linked to Emili Miró Oliver's professional life, both as a doctor and, especially, as a landowner. It also included information about the wine trade. I contacted the company archive, potential sources that could provide documents and photographs, and witnesses who knew both the family and the company. Oral accounts are also important for this book. I was fortunate to have two long-time employees who allowed me to connect the years when there wasn't as much documentation. They also shared their personal characteristics, which I find interesting in a company of this nature.

The company was founded by a landowner and doctor from Cornudella de Montsant.

— It might seem a bit unusual for a doctor and landowner to start producing wine. It's more the figure of a landowner, someone who straddles the late 19th century, as a doctor, and the 20th century, given his involvement in commerce and a small, very local business. That's why I also contextualize his story within the framework of how phylloxera affected rural Catalonia, and also consider his personal and professional life: a doctor, a prestigious figure in a rural community, and also involved in politics, holding political positions, albeit somewhat circumstantial ones. Without concrete documentation, I try to interpret what the world might have been like in which this family was already beginning to move towards this new path.

An important moment is this step of Cornudella in Reus.

— It's 1957. Yes, in fact, that's why the book calls it a "crucial year." We must place ourselves in the post-war context. The family decides to relocate, always maintaining their connection to the region. Miró Salvat, quite astutely, shifts its economic and business center to a city that had historically been important for the wine trade and the business world, but which is not currently thriving. The Mirós are very resilient. They leverage all their experience and begin to make a determined investment. They succeed, and the company begins to gain strength in a very different environment.

The important leap forward came in the eighties, when they began bottling vermouth.

— They anticipated the bottling legislation. In the early eighties, they decided they wanted to produce their own product, switching from bulk to bottled. This was also an interesting gamble, because they had to change their model from selling a product that no one could identify with their brand to investing in a specific brand, with a label. It also meant investing in advertising and a series of technical aspects that would allow them to grow and sustain themselves. At that time, vermouth wasn't in the same position as it is today; this would come later.

Vermuts Miró is very well prepared for when vermouth, perhaps in the first decade of the 2000s, makes this leap from a drink more associated with older people to a more modern drink.

— Yes, it's the revitalization of this product, a different way of understanding it. It wasn't a trendy drink before, and now it's associated with relaxing and leisure. There's also a local context that helps them, and the other vermouth brands that are still around, to collaborate so that this trend has a broad enough umbrella to benefit these companies.

Later in the 21st century, we find Vermuts Miró sponsoring all kinds of events in Reus and the surrounding area.

— Yes, what I wanted to emphasize is that, in addition to being associated with this brand and sponsoring recreational and cultural activities and the intangible heritage we have in the city, they also never lose touch with their original location in Cornudella. They never lose their roots because they define their identity.

It is a family business, therefore, it is a company that transcends generations, which has advantages and disadvantages.

— This has been interesting. The current situation is very different from the research, for the most part, and of course, I was clear that I wanted to frame it within the context of the Masser Group acquisition because, in fact, that was somewhat the basis of the commission.. It's fortunate that the business move coincided with the book's release, allowing us to take stock with the current company, which, as you say, has nothing to do with a family business. There hasn't been a single family representative involved, because sadly, all the driving forces behind it have passed away. These origins, which you might personally find, without any pejorative intent, more modest or humble, show that this generational, continuous, and resilient work can give rise to a business legacy, but also a human one, a certain perspective on the surrounding area. Therefore, it's also, I think, an intangible or emotional legacy, if you will. A search of this kind can help to highlight the value of that past, which now truly represents a small part of the future and the present.

How do you see the future of the vermouth sector?

— It's a sector that can experience ups and downs. We're currently on an upswing, but there could be a downturn. A project like this allows you to recover a legacy that exists in the city and the surrounding area, and it also allows you to take some pride in knowing your past.