Orbea History
It's usually interesting to find out a little bit about the history of bike companies and Orbea is no exception. Le Grimpeur has put together a great article discussing this unique Basque worker owned cooperative.
Orbea is one of some 250 companies that belong to the Mondragón Cooperative Corporation (MCC), which takes its name from the Basque town in Spain in which it was conceived. The MCC had, in 2007, total revenues of over 16 billion euros and employed over 100,000 workers. Despite its size, and organizational complexity, it retains the essential characteristics that guided its inception: it is owned by its workers, and half of the 250 companies in the MCC are cooperatives.
In my mind cooperative companies like Orbea offer a welcome paradigm shift from the failings of conventional western corporations and it's actually kind of uplifting to learn about successful alternatives in these dark economic times. Read more here: The Politics of Bicycles.