‘Big’ small entrepreneurs who reinvest, innovate, undergo and compete | Economy | EUROtoday
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Starting a enterprise in a fragmented period, with a geopolitics marked by commerce conflicts and technological advances wherein synthetic intelligence can additional intensify the digital divide, generates uncertainty. But small and medium-sized firms (SMEs), which make up 99% of all firms in Spain, adapt extra rigorously. During the presentation of the National SME of the Year Award 2025, organized by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and Banco Santander, the president of Santander Spain, Luis Isasi, identified that these firms, though smaller in measurement, are “tenacious, fighters and great in the impact they generate and in their economic and social contribution.”
The award of this ninth version has gone to the Salamanca firm Tebrio, a biotechnology firm devoted to the commercial breeding of the insect. Tenebrio molitoand its transformation into elements for animal and vegetable feed and industrial makes use of. With a dedication to its personal equipment and sustainable options—they require as much as 90% much less water and 80% much less arable land than conventional strategies—it has stood out among the many greater than 1,700 registered firms and the 21 finalists.
A secure enterprise cloth
The occasion, held on the Madrid headquarters of Santander Spain, included the intervention of King Felipe VI, who confused that these firms are “the nerve” of the Spanish productive cloth. “From every corner of our geography, in every workshop, in every office, in every production line, you sustain employment, promote innovation and strengthen the ties that underpin our collective life.” However, he insisted on the necessity to create “a stable environment, clear rules and collaboration between administrations, financial entities and business associations.”
This cooperation between organizations is one other level on which the president of the Chamber of Spain, José Luis Bonet, additionally emphasizes. “You are not alone, there are many of us who are at your side to accompany you, help you and advise you.” His dedication, he argued, is to work to make sure that society understands that firms are “the key to ensuring the progress and well-being of all citizens.”
In pursuit of this progress, Isasi assured that “a country progresses when it has entrepreneurship as a state policy and when it is stable in its rules, ambitious in its openness and demanding in competition.” For this motive, he urged public authorities to assist firms and create belief via easy and unbureaucratic laws. “If we support small businesses, we support the entire country,” he summarized.
Jury members
The jury for the National SME of the Year Award 2025, chaired by Bonet, included Ignacio Juliá, CEO of Santander Spain; Borja Oyarzabal, international director of Business Banking at Banco Santander; Inmaculada Riera, basic director of the Chamber of Spain; Vanessa Hernández, basic director of Press at PRISA and basic director of Operations at PRISA Media, and Isabel Puig, president of the SME Commission of the Chamber of Spain, as secretary of the jury. 54 Territorial Chambers of Commerce, 13 Territorial Directorates of Banco Santander and the principle newspapers of the Spanish press have participated within the group of this version. Since 2017, the yr it was launched, there are already 12,585 SMEs which have participated on this contest.
Insects, an alternative choice to cut back the local weather disaster
Known because the mealworm, the The Dark One It is an insect that generates an affect not solely on the environmental ecosystem, but additionally on the enterprise ecosystem. The firm Tebrio biotechnology is devoted to the breeding and transformation of this species into elements for animal and plant meals and industrial makes use of. Its formidable objective is to redefine the worldwide worth chain. And they begin from the best factor, the uncooked supplies, says Adriana Casillas, the CEO of the Salamanca firm, in an interview with EL PAÍS. “We produce very low carbon footprints, even more than those from vegetables. By introducing them into the base of animal feed (for decades it has been used to feed reptiles and birds in captivity), we enable our clients and the rest of the food chain to lower their carbon footprints,” he describes.
For their growth, they use their very own equipment and expertise patented in additional than 150 nations, which permits them to market these proteins and fat for animal consumption, but additionally natural fertilizers for the diet of soils and crops, and polymers for various industrial biotechnological makes use of. These options require as much as 90% much less water and 80% much less arable land than conventional strategies, with out producing greenhouse gasoline emissions similar to methane or ammonia.
This sustainable dedication has earned Tebrio the 2025 National SME Award, a distinction that serves as a “drive”, as Casillas confessed on the award ceremony. “It reminds us that, even from an SME, realities can be changed and global impact created. That when innovation joins purpose, companies emerge that transform challenges into opportunities and dreams into tangible projects.”
The concept was hatched in 2012, after a market evaluation, which revealed a worldwide protein deficit. “Due to phenomena such as The Girl and the climate crisis, there is less and less availability of resources. Therefore, we must look for alternatives that complement current solutions,” describes the directive. After studying the biology of insects and trying to understand how to develop processes and final products and perfect their engineering area, they managed to introduce products that meet these needs. Since 2014 they have opted for vertical farms 4.0 through disruptive technology and innovative breeding systems to produce and transform insects on a large scale: they use AI, robotics and digital technology in a living industry. They intend to ally themselves as a key partner between agri-food professionals, laboratories, investors, public institutions and farmers in the agri-food industry.
Furthermore, its production is limited to Spain or Europe, which also helps reduce dependence on raw materials from far away. “In this way, we also reinforce the food sovereignty of the country and the continent, a decisive issue in the geopolitical and climate crisis moment in which we find ourselves,” he factors out. Currently, Tebrio is constructing a 90,000 m² manufacturing unit in Salamanca, which can generate 150 direct jobs and greater than 1,350 oblique jobs, and may have the capability to supply greater than 100,000 tons of sustainable merchandise per yr. This plant will reinforce its management within the inexperienced economic system, selling industrial innovation and the era of native employment. In addition, its patented processes and collaborative analysis initiatives consolidate Tebrio as a benchmark in sustainability, innovation and enterprise excellence.
Receiving recognition such as the National SME of the Year award means more than just pride. “It represents the effort, vision and conviction of those of us who believe that business growth only makes sense when it contributes to the progress of society,” describes the CEO. He considers it as a push for those small companies that “face new challenges with creativity and determination.” He admits that in business life “there are very hard moments,” and that receiving this award gives them hope. “Above all, knowing that our work is having an impact is the driving force of our daily lives.”
https://elpais.com/economia/2026-02-25/grandes-pequenos-empresarios-que-reinvierten-innovan-sufren-y-compiten.html