Centennial Oroquieta’s illustrious history celebrated at regional event

Founded in Navarre, Spain, in 1885, Oroquieta owes its name to its founder, Manuel Oroquieta, a Spanish carpenter who closed his business to venture into the pyrotechnic industry. Manuel made use of pyrotechnic ‘secrets’ he had learned from Priests in Italy during his time there, enabling him to develop the company into one of Spain’s most well-respected industrial pyrotechnic manufacturers.

In the early 1900s, Oroquieta’s products included a range of hugely popular fireworks, such as Manuel’s local adaptation of the Chinese dragon, the ‘Bull of Fire’, or ‘Zezenzuskoa’ in Euskara. Over time, Oroquieta became more synonymous with pyrotechnic distress signals due to the 1950s boom in the fishing market, and was later acquired by WesCom Signal & Rescue (then Drew Marine Signal & Safety) in 2012.

General Manager of WesCom Signal & Rescue Spain – Oroquieta’s parent company – Maitane Arana, attended the event with Sales Administrator, Marta Maestrojuan. She comments: “We are very proud to be invited to such a prestigious event, celebrating the history of Navarrese business with some other fantastic organisations. We appreciate the opportunity to reflect on our growth and development as a company over the last 134 years, and strive to continue providing high-quality, life-saving equipment.

”This year, Oroquieta celebrates its 134th anniversary and was invited to a special event by the Navarre Chamber of Commerce, Cámara de Comercio Navarre. Centennial companies based in the district of Navarre came together to commemorate the Chamber of Commerce’s 120th anniversary, with a focus on celebrating the history and contributions of the region’s longest running companies. The ‘Homenaje a empresas centenarias’ event included a range of speakers from esteemed local companies, and a celebratory concert accompanied by cocktails.”

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