When starting the project for the book celebrating
150 years of Manxa, the current company president,
Joan Agustí, decided to go to the Garrotxa County
Archive to confirm Manxa’s founding date.

Unexpectedly, he found that the first industrial
contributions record dates back to December
1872, four years earlier than we
had always thought!

In 1900, Joan Agustí Surroca acquired a locksmith shop in Olot,
founded in 1872 and owned by Rafael Casanova, popularly
known as “manxa.”

His son, Bartomeu Agustí Trilla, took over and expanded the business
with a hardware store.

During the postwar period, his son Joan Agustí Reixach continued
transforming and expanding the activity beyond Olot.

In 1977, the fourth generation joined with Joan Agustí Alfara
(Olot, 1953), who brought new ideas and officially established
Manxa as the group’s name, as it had been popularly
known in the city for more than a century.

In 2020, his son Pol Agustí Olivas assumed the general management,
representing the fifth family generation leading the company.

Currently, Manxa has centers in Banyoles, Riudellots
de la Selva, and Castellbisbal.

The company is in the midst of a growth process,
with a clear focus on the Barcelona area, where 70%
of Catalonia’s added value is concentrated.

In this context, the opening of the iron center in Castellbisbal
(in 2015) stands out, as well as the planned opening
of a new industrial supply store in January 2026.

At present, retail sales represent approximately
10% of the activity, with the business mainly
focused on distributing hardware products for
industry and steel materials.