The industrial heartlands of l’Alcoià and El Comtat earned fame for their paper industry, especially cigarette paper, which marked the region as a major supplier in Spain and beyond. The descendants of that once mighty empire still carry the flame. Papelera de l’Alquería stands as a primary example, producing cardboard paper and occupying the historic site of the Bambú brand in l’Alqueria d’Asnar. Across the region, smaller firms founded by former workers continue to keep a stubborn tradition alive, even as the landscape shifts and consolidates.
Alongside textiles, paper has long driven the regional economy. The paper vocation in Spain traces back to medieval times with Arab influence, and Xàtiva is noted as the first European city with documented paper production. Whether Alcoy truly joined that story in the 16th century remains uncertain, but the timeline points to a late medieval arrival and a rising craft by the 16th century.
That era marks a pivotal moment. A mill in Alcoy built by Vicente Albors in 1755 and the Royal Treasury’s tobacco establishment for New Spain in 1766 signaled a surge in demand for cigarette paper. The 19th century saw Alcoy become a leading production hub, followed by Banyeres. The industry gradually spread to l’Alcoià and neighboring municipalities such as l’Alqueria d’Asnar and l’Orxa in El Comtat, culminating in a regional consolidation in 1934 under Papeleras Reunidas. The Civil War, World War II and later economic waves reconfigured the sector, eventually closing some operations in 1984.
Raduán kept its own independence with a factory in L’Orxa, continuing for a time after the broader crisis. Yet beyond a few small reforming firms, the sector’s footprint in the region diminished. The survival of this activity owes a debt to a small municipality like l’Alqueria d’Asnar, home to the main Papeleras Reunidas plant. After a period of resistance to dismantling the machinery, owners Rafael Pascual, Pascual Botella and Rafael Richart acquired the facilities with a pledge to keep them running if feasible. The region witnessed a notable comeback in paper production about a quarter-century ago.
Through the Hinojosa y Bernabeu group the future of the plant shifted. Hinojosa acquired the factory to manufacture the paper used for cardboard boxes. This business group operates fifteen plants across Spain and Portugal, focusing on packaging and related products. The project began with adapting Papeleras Reunidas’ cigarette and Bible paper machinery and renovating the old site. In seven years, production rose by about 42 percent, reaching 100,000 tons annually. The latest available turnover data from 2019 places revenue at 46.5 million euros.
Hinojosa has championed sustainability and a circular economy. According to the mill director, all paper produced is recycled, sourced from blue recycling streams, cardboard from packing waste, and partners dedicated to waste collection. Waste is sorted and reintroduced into the papermaking recipe, a cycle that underpins the firm’s environmental claims.
The same director notes that the industry has a tarnished reputation for pollution, yet this mill proves the opposite. Water use is minimized; the plant does not draw from the Serpis river despite having a concession nearby. Instead, it relies on wastewater from the Font de la Pedra municipal treatment facility, with residuals treated in-house to a tertiary level before return to the source. Daily consumption runs around 2,000 cubic meters, a figure cited to illustrate the efficiency of their process.
The manager is proud of the philosophy, claiming this is the only European paper mill pursuing such a model, and that leadership in technology and environmental stewardship remains a core aim. Biomass is used to produce steam for drying, with the plant opting to source from nearby forests to reduce transportation and carbon footprint. The boiler added in 2013 was once the largest in Spain, built in Sweden, inviting a Swedish ambassador to inaugurate the installation.
Papelera de l’Alqueria has replaced fuel-powered forklifts with electric equivalents, explored solar panel projects and embraced Industry 4.0 to improve workplace conditions and efficiency. Ongoing investments near 20 million euros have earned the company an excellence certificate in business management, a rare recognition in such a highly regulated industrial environment. This achievement reflects alignment with local authorities in l’Alqueria d’Asnar and a shared commitment to sustain the region’s papermaking heritage.
The paper produced here primarily becomes cardboard for boxes later used in packaging for diverse sectors. The group maintains factories across Spain to serve regional needs, producing containers for canning in the north and for fruit and vegetable packaging in agricultural zones, among other applications.
Today, 56 workers are employed directly by Papelera de l’Alqueria, with indirect employment boosting the total to about 100. When maintenance pauses occur the tally can approach 160. Technicians hail from Sweden, Germany and Finland, and the plant runs in five shifts around the clock to maintain high-temperature processes necessary for papermaking. The site director emphasizes the importance of continuous operation to control energy costs and keep production efficient.
Alongside the leading producer, smaller processing firms continue to operate in the region. Most trace their origins to workers from Papeleras Reunidas or Raduán, preserving a shared industrial tradition even as larger firms consolidate. Practicel, based in Gaianes, has 17 years of history and specializes in hospitality products such as napkins, tablecloths, wipes, toothpicks and gel packaging. Its market is largely domestic, with transportation costs shaping profitability. The firm employs about 38 people and recorded a turnover slightly above 14 million euros, but the 2020 tourism slump hit the sector hard. Still, the team remains determined to weather the downturn and protect this regional craft.
The papermaking tradition in l’Alcoià and El Comtat lives on in museums and historic ruins. A museum dedicated to the bamboo factory opened in l’Alqueria d’Asnar on the former site of the Bamboo Plant, now Papelera de l’Alqueria. The mayor recalls a time when 450 workers filled the plant and 90 percent of the town relied on its fortunes. The area remains inseparable from Bamboo and the village alike, a symbiotic memory that endures.
The Banyeres area hosts another museum, and the Museu Valencià del Paper offers guided tours through the town’s rich papermaking history. The Ruta dels Molins routes visitors through three historic mills along the Vinalopó river, including Molí l’Ombria, Molí Sol and Molí Pont, each preserving much of its hydraulic heritage. In Alcoy, the Papeleras Reunidas building stands as a landmark, housing the modern headquarters of Aitex and CEEI, while the Molinar archaeological complex is hailed as a cradle of Valencian industrialization.