The Women's Rural Revolution
In other sectors of the food industry, women also participated in notable ways. In 1858, Balbina Etxeberria founded the family company Lekuona (her husband’s surname), a bakery that would become an emporium.
Etxeberria was originally from Errenteria and married Leonardo Lecuona, a carpenter from another town, Andoain. Together, they started the family bakery business in Errenteria. Although the couple founded the company, Etxeberria oversaw its management and operation. This fact is significant, considering the historical context of the 19th century, when it was rare for women to manage businesses.
Besides, women from rural areas (caseras) played an essential role in the sale of food products such as milk, meat, and vegetables at village fairs and in the food industry. For example, in 1969, 17 women from Mondragón founded Auzo Lagun (“neighborhood friend”, in Basque, now Ausolan), a cooperative initially dedicated to kitchen services and prepared meals. These women fought for the right to enter the world of labor and not to leave it when they got married. This initiative was a pioneer in the sale of prepared food in the region. Ausolan is today an integral part of the Mondragón Corporation business group, a leading business group and well-known cooperative.
