This stamp commemorates the 50th anniversary of the transfer of the Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Market from the Born Market in the city centre to its current location, Mercabarna, an important event in guaranteeing the supply of fresh produce to the citizens of Barcelona and Catalonia.
Inaugurated in 1876, the Born market was the first great example of iron architecture in Barcelona and until 1921 it functioned as the market of the Ribera district. The unstoppable increase in wholesale trade, the congestion of the Born market and the growth of the city during the first half of the 20th century meant that it came to house all the city's fruit and vegetable wholesalers.
This measure, which was to be temporary, lasted 50 years. Throughout this period, the city's markets doubled in size and the Born, as a central market, could not provide all the necessary services. For this reason, in 1971 the wholesale market was moved to the Zona Franca de Barcelona, within the Mercabarna site, a first-rate logistical location that provided advantages for wholesalers and buyers.
The change of location to the Zona Franca de Barcelona, one of the most important logistic areas in Spain, boosted the growth and modernisation of wholesale companies dedicated to the fruit and vegetable trade. The market's area of influence grew from supplying only the city of Barcelona to supplying the whole of Catalonia, Spain and later many countries in the world. Today, Mercabarna supplies fresh produce to some 10 million consumers. This has led it to become one of Europe's leading wholesale markets in terms of marketing, innovation and exports.
Mercabarna is currently owned by Barcelona City Council, Mercasa and the Generalitat de Catalunya. The Mercabarna Central Fruit and Vegetable Market brings together 150 companies and markets more than 2 million tonnes of produce every year, making it a world reference point.
The stamp shows a close-up of the boxes that fill the market stalls with colour.
