More than 50 years have passed since Félix López Serrano, owner of a flour factory also located in Yecla (Murcia), decided to dedicate a small space in his facilities to the manufacture of sofas. Over the years and given the progressive growth of the company, he decided to close the other activities and dedicate fully to the manufacture of sofas. What initially began as an almost anecdotal activity has ended up being a project in which more than 250 people are currently involved.
No one could have imagined that a project that started with just three workers would grow into one of the most technologically advanced sofa manufacturers in the world. We carry out the complete production process in our plant in Spain, from design to after-sales service, merging the most advanced technology with the wisdom and expert hands of our craftsmen.
Over the years, we have been able to undertake small improvement projects in different areas until we have become a reference company in many fields. In our DNA we have our commitment to the workers’ health, the Environment care (we give a second life to 99.985% of the waste we generate) and the promotion of culture and sports. Our values and our commitment to society have grown in parallel with our economic activity. The history of Fama is the history of 50 years of work with the involvement of many people who have dedicated part of their lives to making this project a reality.
The 70's in Yecla were an emerging decade in which many companies dedicated to the manufacture of furniture and sofas started their activity. At that time Félix López Serrano, founder of Fama, owned a flour factory, a feed factory and a farm. Faced with the growing momentum of the furniture sector in Yecla, Félix decided to employ three workers and dedicate a small space in the flour factory to the manufacture of sofas. That was the beginning of Fama's journey, more than 50 years ago.
In 1972, Antonio joined the company with his father. Three years later, Aniceto, the eldest brother would do the same. At this time, Félix Sr. was head of Sales, travelling throughout Spain with the first furniture show-van that circulated on the country. Meanwhile, Aniceto took over the management of the company and Antonio the direction of production. Tapizados Fama began to acquire prestige at a national level.
Little by little, the sofa company grew and gained square metres to the detriment of the flour factory that ended up closing in 1977. The workers from the flour factory joined the sofa factory, which had already occupied almost 4,000 square metres in several units attached but disconnected from each other.
Félix, the youngest of the López Gil brothers and current CEO, joins the company as a designer after training at the Murcia School of Arts and Crafts, turning the brand's modelling 180 degrees.
In subsequent years, the company continued to grow and it was decided to begin the construction of the first phase of a new 5,000-square-meter factory building and 400-meter office space. What at first seemed gigantic facilities ended up being small due to the continuous increase of staff and production.
In 1987 we bought from Lectra a CAD system for fabric cutting. A few years later we were surprised to learn that we had been the first sofa company in the world to incorporate a technology into the upholstery sector that was designed for clothes manufacturing. Already in those years we understood the importance of applying technology to our production processes, something that today is an indisputable part of Fama’s DNA.
In subsequent years, we continued to go for continuous innovation. The company continued to grow, and the production needs led us to carry out new extensions in the premises attached to the existing ones. First 2,000 square metres, then 3,000, and so on until the area was extended to 16,000 square metres.
The Valencia Furniture Fair was the springboard to take the step to export. As a result of a contact made at the fair, we got the first foreign customer from none other than Japan. This fact marked the beginning of the contact with more companies abroad. And nowadays we sell in more than 70 countries and export 70% of our production.
In 1998, we presented a red sofa with curved shapes that broke with the design trend that prevailed in the sector: the PLATON model. Our mission to create sofas with unique designs and aesthetics allowed us to reach dozens of countries and continue expanding abroad as a reference brand in the sector.
That same year we obtained the ISO 9001 certification, becoming the first Spanish sofas manufacturing company to obtain it. While for some this certification was synonymous with bureaucracy and paperwork, for Fama it was the tool that set us on the path of Quality, Innovation and continuous improvement.
The 2000s were another turning point in the history of Fama. In 2005, we started creating the first personalised corners in the stores of our best customers. This was the germ of our current chain of Famaliving stores. In those years it was a very risky decision, but time ended up proving that it was the right one.
A year later, in 2006, we exhibited at the Birmingham Fair in the UK with an amazing success. Fama generated an image of products different to everything else, with comfortable and quality sofas full of curved shapes and colour, which some coined the "Fama Style". This was the first international fair that we attended, and, over the years, it was followed by others as important as Milan, Paris, Beijing or Cologne.
In 2012, the first two Famaliving stores, the Fama brand sofa store chain, were opened in Granada and New York. These were the first seeds of the franchise, which currently has more than 75 stores around the world. The following years Fama continues to expand, and we decide to make a new extension of 5,000 square metres in which we include a nursery-play centre to promote family reconciliation for all employees.
In 2017 and 2018 Aniceto and Antonio, the two older brothers, retire after a life dedicated to consolidating Fama Sofas, leaving Félix and Manoli at the head of the company.
In 2019, we obtained the ISO 14001 environmental management system certification from AENOR, which further strengthens our commitment to the Environment. That same year, Fama received the National Award for Connected Industry 4.0 from the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, in recognition of the company's trajectory, which over all these years has been linked to innovation and improvement.
Our commitment to the environment takes a further step in 2022, when Fama obtains the AENOR Zero Waste certification, which guarantees that more than 90% of a company's industrial waste is recovered. In our case, 99.985% of the waste we generate has a second useful life, preventing it from ending up in a landfill.
Fama continues to grow, reaching a workforce of more than 250 workers. Production needs have led us to get involved in the construction of a new factory and a showroom-hotel, “El mirador de Fama”, settled in a forested place.
Fama celebrates in 2022 its 50 years of life, with the focus set on the future and with hundreds of ideas that can be carried out.
The 70's in Yecla were an emerging decade in which many companies dedicated to the manufacture of furniture and sofas started their activity. At that time Félix López Serrano, founder of Fama, owned a flour factory, a feed factory and a farm. Faced with the growing momentum of the furniture sector in Yecla, Félix decided to employ three workers and dedicate a small space in the flour factory to the manufacture of sofas. That was the beginning of Fama's journey, more than 50 years ago.
In 1972, Antonio joined the company with his father. Three years later, Aniceto, the eldest brother would do the same. At this time, Félix Sr. was head of Sales, travelling throughout Spain with the first furniture show-van that circulated on the country. Meanwhile, Aniceto took over the management of the company and Antonio the direction of production. Tapizados Fama began to acquire prestige at a national level.
Little by little, the sofa company grew and gained square metres to the detriment of the flour factory that ended up closing in 1977. The workers from the flour factory joined the sofa factory, which had already occupied almost 4,000 square metres in several units attached but disconnected from each other.
Félix, the youngest of the López Gil brothers and current CEO, joins the company as a designer after training at the Murcia School of Arts and Crafts, turning the brand's modelling 180 degrees.
In subsequent years, the company continued to grow and it was decided to begin the construction of the first phase of a new 5,000-square-meter factory building and 400-meter office space. What at first seemed gigantic facilities ended up being small due to the continuous increase of staff and production.
In 1987 we bought from Lectra a CAD system for fabric cutting. A few years later we were surprised to learn that we had been the first sofa company in the world to incorporate a technology into the upholstery sector that was designed for clothes manufacturing. Already in those years we understood the importance of applying technology to our production processes, something that today is an indisputable part of Fama’s DNA.
In subsequent years, we continued to go for continuous innovation. The company continued to grow, and the production needs led us to carry out new extensions in the premises attached to the existing ones. First 2,000 square metres, then 3,000, and so on until the area was extended to 16,000 square metres.
The Valencia Furniture Fair was the springboard to take the step to export. As a result of a contact made at the fair, we got the first foreign customer from none other than Japan. This fact marked the beginning of the contact with more companies abroad. And nowadays we sell in more than 70 countries and export 70% of our production.
In 1998, we presented a red sofa with curved shapes that broke with the design trend that prevailed in the sector: the PLATON model. Our mission to create sofas with unique designs and aesthetics allowed us to reach dozens of countries and continue expanding abroad as a reference brand in the sector.
That same year we obtained the ISO 9001 certification, becoming the first Spanish sofas manufacturing company to obtain it. While for some this certification was synonymous with bureaucracy and paperwork, for Fama it was the tool that set us on the path of Quality, Innovation and continuous improvement.
The 2000s were another turning point in the history of Fama. In 2005, we started creating the first personalised corners in the stores of our best customers. This was the germ of our current chain of Famaliving stores. In those years it was a very risky decision, but time ended up proving that it was the right one.
A year later, in 2006, we exhibited at the Birmingham Fair in the UK with an amazing success. Fama generated an image of products different to everything else, with comfortable and quality sofas full of curved shapes and colour, which some coined the "Fama Style". This was the first international fair that we attended, and, over the years, it was followed by others as important as Milan, Paris, Beijing or Cologne.
In 2012, the first two Famaliving stores, the Fama brand sofa store chain, were opened in Granada and New York. These were the first seeds of the franchise, which currently has more than 75 stores around the world. The following years Fama continues to expand, and we decide to make a new extension of 5,000 square metres in which we include a nursery-play centre to promote family reconciliation for all employees.
In 2017 and 2018 Aniceto and Antonio, the two older brothers, retire after a life dedicated to consolidating Fama Sofas, leaving Félix and Manoli at the head of the company.
In 2019, we obtained the ISO 14001 environmental management system certification from AENOR, which further strengthens our commitment to the Environment. That same year, Fama received the National Award for Connected Industry 4.0 from the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, in recognition of the company's trajectory, which over all these years has been linked to innovation and improvement.
Our commitment to the environment takes a further step in 2022, when Fama obtains the AENOR Zero Waste certification, which guarantees that more than 90% of a company's industrial waste is recovered. In our case, 99.985% of the waste we generate has a second useful life, preventing it from ending up in a landfill.
Fama continues to grow, reaching a workforce of more than 250 workers. Production needs have led us to get involved in the construction of a new factory and a showroom-hotel, “El mirador de Fama”, settled in a forested place.
Fama celebrates in 2022 its 50 years of life, with the focus set on the future and with hundreds of ideas that can be carried out.
Equality and family reconciliation
