Vinoteca Mendibil

Calle Mayor in Irun during the first decade of the 20th century.

A ‘wine and liquor bureau’

Everything started in 1894 when atrader by the name of Martín Gaztelumendi opened a ‘wine and liquor bureau’ called Casa Gaztelumendi in his hometown of Irun. His nose for business prompted him to open his store at number 8 Calle Mayor, the town’s high street, which was an important thoroughfare at that time, since it formed part of the Royal Road that ranbetween Madrid and Paris. The location of the store meant that there would never be a lack of travellers and passers-by from both sides of the border.

Calle Mayor in Irun during the first decade of the 20th century.

Martín Gaztelumendi

Phylloxera and Riojan wines

This businessman from Irun did not just focus on the local market; he also started exporting Spanish wines to France. Since French vineyards were gradually disappearing as a result of infestation by tiny insects known as grape phylloxera, purchases of Riojan wine soared. Casa Gaztelumendi made the most of this situation to establish solid trade relations with its French neighbours.

Martín Gaztelumendi

Wine barrels waiting to be exported to France during World War I. Urdanibia Square, Irun, 1917 (Photo: Ricardo Campo).

Clients and friends of Casa Gaztelumendi during a celebration at its establishment (Photo: Irun Municipal Archive)

New stores

During the early decades of the 20th century, Casa Gaztelumendi underwent a process of expansion, setting up new premises in a number of different urban thoroughfares, including border crossings, where it opened delegations near the railway station and the different bridges that spanned the river separating France from Spain. At the same time, the business’s desire to continue serving the local population prompted it to open a cider-house in Irun and another store in Hondarribia.

Clients and friends of Casa Gaztelumendi during a celebration at its establishment (Photo: Irun Municipal Archive)

World War I

The growth of the business was reflected also in its international sales, particularly in France, which at the time was in the midst of fighting World War I. The war forced France to increase wine imports, since domestic production had dropped drastically under the adverse conditions generated by the conflict.

The centre of Irun in ruins following the fire of 1936. Casa Gaztelumendi is located in the bottom right-hand part of the picture.

Spanish Civil War. Fire and exodus

Martín Gaztelumendi passed away in 1935 and his daughter Pilar took over the business during the build-up to the Spanish Civil War. In the summer of 1936, the conflict reached Irun and had a direct impact on the family. In early September, Pilar’s husband, Joaquín Solbes, was imprisoned for political reasons and shot. A few days later, as a result of military manoeuvres, a huge fire raged through Irun leaving dozens of buildings in ashes, including the premises belonging to Casa Gaztelumendi. Now a widow with three children under her care, Pilar fled to France, where she waited in a nearby border town for things to calm down.

The centre of Irun in ruins following the fire of 1936. Casa Gaztelumendi is located in the bottom right-hand part of the picture.

Economic and social ruin

In 1937, Pilar returned with her children to Irun. Despite her personal tragedy, she was determined to give her family a fresh start and revive Casa Gaztelumendi. The situation was critical: a country at war, a business in ruins and the original founder deceased.

Pilar Gaztelumendi

The rebirth of Casa Gaztelumendi

Under Pilar Gaztelumendi’s management, the establishment reopened in the centre of Irun (Calle Iglesia). Little by little, activity intensified and the store began to import French spirits and export Spanish wine. Before long, the company was once again thriving on both sides of the River Bidasoa.

People on a balcony above Casa Gaztelumendi.

A thriving business

After the difficult postwar period finally ended, Casa Gaztelumendi went from strength to strength. The population of Irun was now larger than it had been in 1930, meaning a steady stream of new clients for the wine store managed by Pilar Gaztelumendi.

At the same time, the development of customs areas and the gradual easing of border restrictions made trade with France ever easier. Casa Gaztelumendi increased its exports to its neighbouring country and the quality and variety of its wines and spirits attracted many new French clients.

Calle Iglesia in Irun, with the entrance to Casa Gaztelumendi just in front of the white car (Photo: Guilló).

Document from 1951 putting a client in touch with a winery.

Left: Clients and employees around the Casa Gaztelumendi van, with Mattin Solbes on the roof (on the left). Right: Clients and friends of Mattin Solbes (second from the right) in front of the store.

New business

At the beginning of the 1960s, the business started by Martín Gaztelumendi passed into the hands of its third generation. Martín’s grandson, Mattin Solbes, took over the helm of the business and steadily steered it through the second half of the 20th century. Mattin continued adding to the legacy created by his forebears, moving the company headquarters to Calle República Argentina, in Irun, and renaming the business Nieto de Martín Gaztelumendi.

The establishment was located just opposite the local market, which was visited every day by hundreds of French customers. Many of these tradespeople purchased quality wines and spirits at the popular store, which also had a broad and very loyal local customer base. Unfortunately, Mattin passed away in 1986 before having the chance to glimpse the future modernisation project designed by his son, Iñaki.

Fourth generation: qualitative leap

Following the demise of Mattin Solbes, his son Iñaki took his place at the head of the family firm. Despite being an inexperienced 16-year-old, under Iñaki’s management the business continued to thrive, mainly due to his passion for wine, inherited from his great-grandfather Martín Gaztelumendi.

Iñaki Solbes outside the entrance to the store, at the end of the 1980s.

Iñaki’s sisters, María and Nerea, also joined the family firm. The company entered a new era, characterised by greater specialisation. New times brought with them new customers who demanded more quality, prompting the firm to focus on a very select range of top-quality wines and spirits.

Iñaki Solbes outside the entrance to the store, at the end of the 1980s.

Nerea and María Solbes posing inside the store.

At the same time, a new project began to emerge that would further advance this focus on top-of-the-range products. The facilities offered by the much-cherished store were becoming obsolete in the face of the modernisation of the wine trade. New premises and new services were required. By the turn of the new century, the metamorphosis was complete.

Nerea and María Solbes posing inside the store.

Iñaki and Miguel with the oenologist Bruno Prats in 2009.

The great transformation: Vinoteca Mendibil

Iñaki knew that the firm needed to evolve in order to adapt to the changing times. He therefore partnered with Miguel Salas to turn what had been a local store into a global enterprise offering thousands of different wines and spirits. In 2001, they opened a large, modern establishment that nevertheless maintained the warm, family spirit and feel of Casa Gaztelumendi. The business was renamed Vinoteca Mendibil.

Iñaki and Miguel with the oenologist Bruno Prats in 2009.

Entrance to Vinoteca Mendibil a few years after it opened.

By 2006, the business was doing so well that they decided to move to an even larger premises (where they remain to this very day) located near the previous one in the centre of Irun. They began to offer wines and spirits from all over the world, while increasing distribution to hotel and catering enterprises from Biarritz all the way to San Sebastián.

Entrance to Vinoteca Mendibil a few years after it opened.

Internationalisation and new facilities

Its growing customer base forced the company to continue evolving in order to maintain the high quality of its products and services. In 2014, it opened a large warehouse and an office in the Zaisa logistics hub in Irun, hiring new staff and adding to its fleet of distribution vehicles.

It also set up a bonded warehouse to facilitate transactions with France, a market that was gradually expanding. The internationalisation process was given further impetus by direct imports from renowned Italian, French and German wineries, and the company also started to sell its products in strategically-located stores running all the way along the French-Spanish border, from the Basque Country to Catalonia.

Award for the Best Commercial Enterprise

The success of Vinoteca Mendibil, formerly Casa Gaztelumendi, was recently recognised by the Gipuzkoa Chamber of Commerce in the form of its Award for the Best Commercial Enterprise. The jury highlighted the company’s ‘management model, implementation of different technologies, online presence and positioning and adaptation to the evolving market over its 125-year history’. It also stated that its ‘focus on customer service is the backbone of its company policy’.

New pavilion and offices

Over recent years, Vinoteca Mendibil has taken another leap forward, moving its offices and warehouse to a large pavilion located in a logistics hub in Irun. These modern facilities have enabled the firm to optimise both its administrative activities and the storage and preservation of its products.

Commercial expansion

Vinoteca Mendibil has recently intensified its relations with the French market, notably increasing sales to catering professionals and outlets on the other side of the River Bidasoa.

Online sales

The search for new sales channels prompted the company to open an e-shop, where customers can access an extensive catalogue containing over 2,000 different products. The articles on sale include some wines and spirits that can only be purchased from Vinoteca Mendibil.

E-shop

Since 1894