Samaca - history of the foundation

SAMACA (Santa María de Casaio)
The factory received its name in 1968, after combining several shale producers into one group - “SAMACA”. The very name of the factory is the capital letters of the oldest village and the church of the same name “Santa María de Casaio”, the first mentions of which are subsidized by the sixth century. This settlement is the most ancient in the area of ​​the main shale deposits of Galicia, the geographical center of which is located in the city of Carballeda de Valdeorras (Orense).
Most of the shale quarries are located on both banks of the River Casaio, which divides the mountain range into two halves.
 The construction of the railway in this area in 1883 gradually increased production and mining, as the commercialization of oil shale spread to other nearby cities and regions of Spain.

But the largest development of shale in Galicia has been happening since the 60s, when exports to the European market began, which led to significant changes in the technologies of extraction and development of the shale industry as a whole.
The unification of many small shale producers into groups allowed them to conquer new markets and develop production, which was also the main incentive for creating the SAMACA brand.
 The emergence of new markets has led to a change in business model, creating important industrial groups, which in turn have created powerful commercial networks in Europe. To date, they have achieved leadership in the global production of roofing slate, turning Spain into a leader in mining, where Galicia is the leader in Spanish production with 55% of the total, and the remaining 45% almost come from the community of Castile and Leon.