One consequence of climate change is the greater spread of pests—a problem Mylva, a family-owned company that researches, develops, manufactures and distributes biocides and accessories for insect and rodent control, is actively combating. The Catalan company proudly notes it has completed a successful generational handover as it celebrates its 35th anniversary.

The results bear this out: while in 2023 it billed 11.5 million euros with an EBITDA margin of 15%, this year it expects to reach 13 million, nearly 60 % more than in 2019. CEO Albert Picas explains that the company—founded 35 years ago by his father, Mateu Picas—is immersed in an expansion project “to improve its production capacity,” which began with the new laboratory inaugurated last year in Sant Cebrià de Vallalta, in Maresme.

Mylva, which employs around fifty people, has 19 products registered as its own under the biocides regulation and 250 registrations and authorizations in more than thirty countries. In addition, over the coming years it plans to add 15 products currently under development to its catalog, 70 % of which are considered green or low-environmental-impact. “We’re focusing heavily in this direction, not only because the market and society demand it, but because it’s also embedded in the company’s philosophy,” the CEO notes.

This requires “large investments” due to the tightening of European regulations in this field, which lengthens time frames and increases costs, according to Picas. “Thirty years ago products were used that killed everything but were very harmful to the environment and people,” he explains. Today, however, the way to eradicate pests has become more sophisticated, leading to a highly professionalized sector in Spain, the executive adds.