Transfer of portfolios between families

At Casa Casilda everything stays within the family (or almost everything). The business was set up by the mother-in-law of Paz Marqués de Alós, who ran it for 30 years under the Zurrón brand. When the mother-in-law retired, in October 2021, Marqués and his sister Sofía took over. The first thing they did was rename the firm Casa Casilda, in honor of the daughter of Paz Marqués, whose name is Casilda. “The brand was in low hours and with my sister we are reviving it, giving it a new and more international air, hence the name change,” explains Paz Marqués.

Casa Casilda –and this is where the family network ends– works with artisans from Toledo and Ubrique. They make bags, travel bags, toiletry bags, but also accessories for home or work, such as napkin rings or document holders. “We have expanded the product catalogue, now we have more bags and more accessories for the home,” says the entrepreneur. These are items with a classic, elegant and timeless style, designed to have a long life.

The firm wants to distinguish itself by the quality of its products and this begins with the materials. “We use canvases, linens, and skins that come solely and exclusively from the food industry, which is what we call reused animal skins,” says Paz Marqués. The owner adds that the tanning is vegetable: “a process that converts the skin into leather from vegetable tannins, which are not harmful to health and the environment.”

For sales, the sisters only use the brand’s website, but they aspire to reach physical stores and expand internationally. At the moment, his great focus is to start selling to companies such as hotels or law firms, so that they give away Casa Casilda items to their clients, in the form of corporate gifts. “We have carried out a pilot test with hotels and it has been a success,” says the entrepreneur. If it manages to gain a foothold in this market segment, the company’s turnover will record notable growth.

The two sisters lead the firm alone. In 2022, they closed with a turnover of 30,000 euros and this year they plan to reach 100,000 euros.