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Joan Esquerrá Aznar, member since 1973 with number 5153, was honored this year at the Engineer's Day for completing fifty years of membership. Currently retired.
When did you become interested in the world of engineering?
I was about fifteen years old when I had to decide whether I wanted to study literature or science. And I did it for the sciences, as they interested me and, on the other hand, in my house they came from the pharmaceutical world. I then graduated as an Industrial Technical Engineer specializing in Industrial Chemistry at the School of Technical Engineers in Barcelona.
What is your first contact with working life and the world of oenology?
I started my profession in the field of oenology at the company López Bertan i Cia, where I was there for two years. Back then this was a world based mainly on wine wholesalers and not producers. Everything was in bulk and there was no great added value. It was more of an economic factor than taking care of taste. I remember that, in Tarragona, there were many wineries that had an imported product and another that was considered a "second tier". Fortunately, this world has evolved a lot and for the better. Currently, the wine has an excellent quality because the fermentation is controlled, and we are also able to give it other uses, such as in the kitchen.
Despite starting in the world of oenology, he dedicates a good part of his life to working in the distillates and spirits sector.
Two years later, I joined the company Bols, where I assumed the position of technical director, for fifteen years. I especially remember that stage as I enjoyed it a lot. I took charge of the distillate and macerated production test and the production. It was an interesting and beautiful field at the same time. At that time, everything related to fermentation and alcohol, as an industrial product and a taste in the mouth, was very important. In Tarragona this sector generated a significant weight, since exports were made all over Europe.
What weight does this sector have on consumers?
Today there are quite a few consumers of spirits and spirits. A whole adventure is generated around him. A distinction must be made between those who simply light a bottle to drink, and those who open it to open a world of illusion. Obviously, we must always be aware that we must not abuse it, but finishing a good lunch with a shot of liquor, if you don't have to drive, is a pleasure in every way.
At the beginning of the 90s, the world of spirits and spirits changed for insurance.
It was not a decision that I made consciously, but because of the closure of the Bols factory, due to common market issues. In Spain it was very interesting to manufacture alcoholic beverages because the tax on alcohol, at that time, until the entry of the common market, was very cheap. An alcoholic product could be worth three times more in Holland, France or Germany than in Spain. One of the things that a tourist bought when he came to our house, was one of the bottles he consumed to take back to his country. Companies like Bols lived off foreign tourism. At the time when the prices were equalized in the rest of Europe, there was no interest in continuing to manufacture them in Spain.
It was then, at the age of 40, that the Winterthur company came looking for me. It was a different job, much more on a large scale. Until then he had been in companies of a more family nature. I was responsible for the company's Expert Network in the Catalonia, Balearic Islands and Andorra area. I was very comfortable there even though the job involved traveling, and I admit I was tired. In this sector I finished my working stage.
He is currently retired. What do you spend your free time doing?
Yes, I have been retired since 2014, when I turned 65. I read and write, but I do it by hand, heeding the medical recommendations to work the joints. What I write I keep the most important, and sometimes I share it with my wife, my children and my grandchildren. And what I don't like, I simply tear it up. It is good physical and mental exercise. And of course, I also like to go into the "colmados" to see the liquors they have there, look at their labels and their packaging.
As part of Engineer's Day 2024, he received the badge of 50 years of association.
When I saw that auditorium full as part of the Engineer's Day, I thought it was a pride to see how the family had expanded. On the other hand, I was very excited to receive that recognition, since 50 years is not easily reached, and what luck! I thought if I could pull back, I'd start over. There are many lives and experiences that I take with me. CETIT has changed a lot over these 50 years. In its beginnings it was a small body, located in an office on the Rambla in Tarragona, and at that time, in the whole province, we did not reach 200 members. Nowadays things have changed a lot.
What would you say to future engineers?
I would give them three pieces of advice. The first, that they are constantly trained. If you don't get rusty and don't train for a while, you end up missing the train. Society changes and we must know how to adapt to it. The second is that when someone makes a project, do not leave it in the hands of a third party; but follow the whole process, from beginning to end. And the last, it is not a professional advice but a human one. First, always family and then work. It is very important. Obviously, these tips apply to all professions.