Cervera Del Río Alhama, birthplace of jute and Salvi Footwear

Cervera del Río Alhama is located in the southeastern part of the autonomous community of La Rioja. It is situated on the banks of the Alhama River, a fertile valley with a Mediterranean climate declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO for being a valuable terrestrial ecosystem with international recognition. It is said that Cervera is the birthplace of espadrille production in Spain.

Today, the espadrille production process has undergone modifications, but to understand how it is made now, it is useful to know how it was traditionally done. Hemp, which served as the raw material for making the sole, was grown in the Alhama Valley itself. Throughout the process, workers of both sexes participated with a strict division of tasks.

Espadrilles were made by hand, one by one, with tools they crafted themselves, and the knowledge was passed down from parents to children over many generations. But it was from the 19th century, with the industrial revolution, that production processes began to change.