Founded in 2012, Berria Bikes is a Spanish bicycle manufacturer. David Vittoria, CEO of the brand, spoke with Vélo 101.
Berria Bikes was born in 2012 in Villarrobledo, in the province of Albacete in Spain, southeast of Madrid. Created by brothers Vittoria, José and David, it is a family story. A former professional runner, David is the CEO of the Spanish brand Berria, which is none other than the nickname given to his father, also a former professional cyclist. Forced to end his career at the age of 25 following a serious fall, David Vittoria decided to create Berria Bikes with his brother. “I saw the opportunity to create a technical brand, with personalization, with racing DNA,” says David Vittoria. There is also a range of less racing bikes, but performance remains at the heart of the brand's ambitions.
Berria present at the Olympic Games
“We created this project with an idea of performance, customization, but also a lot of passion behind it”continues the 40-year-old Swiss. As with the vast majority of brands, the frames come from Asia before being painted and assembled in the Berria workshops in Spain. Berria is present at the highest level in mountain biking with the Berria Vittoria Factory team, which was created in 2022. Team in which Léna Gérault, French MTB Cross country champion in 2020, played until the end of the Team , end of 2023.
This year, with the Berria-Polimedical Team and the Stop & Go Marderabwehr-MTB Team, the Spanish brand was also present at the MTB Olympic Games, with its Colombian athlete Diego Arias, but also the German Julian Schelb, who took the third place at the European cross country championships in May. “This year we had a successful season with several podiums behind Tom Pidcock in the World Cup and with both of us athletes at the Olympic Games,” continues the CEO of the brand.
Berria soon in the pelotons?
If Berria Bikes is present at the highest level in mountain biking, the Spanish company is still struggling to find a place on the road within the teams, real showcases for manufacturers. “Now we work a lot on the road. We created this amazing project Belador 6 with very high goals and we are looking to find a good opportunity with a team. But the top level in mountain biking is different from that on the road. On the way, to be on the Protour, it's really expensive for us. So the goal is to introduce and cooperate with amateur level teams, ambassadors, and a lot of communication”says David Vittoria.
“What we do, to give people the opportunity to see, touch and understand the product, we do a lot of testing with stores. It's the best way when you have an incredible product for people to test it. This is our strategy to present our road products to primary consumers in the best possible way. We must also give visibility to products with ambassadors at the local level. It’s a mixed strategy,” explains the former Footon-Servetto rider.
10 to 15% of sales in France
It is obviously in Spain that Berria Bikes is most established and sells the most bikes. The Spanish company is also well established in France and Italy. “We have created sales teams in France and Italy. We are really close to the sellers in these two countries. Now, France represents between 10 and 15% of our sales, but we think we can grow. Our important categories are Road and Gravel. In mountain biking a little less, because the market is a little slower in this category”continues David Vittoria. In France, Berria works with around 35 salespeople for around fifty points of sale, including the Material Vélo chain of stores.
“Our factory is in Spain. It takes two to three days to deliver the bikes to France. This is a key point for us. If the bike is not in stock, we are able to deliver it in two to four weeks. It’s really important to us,” assures the CEO. While mountain biking was the brand's best-selling practice until last year, it is now road and gravel that are favored by buyers. “We are seeing a change in trend. This year the mountain bike part was below expectations. I'm pretty sure it will come back in the next few years.”indicates the co-founder of Berria.
“Helping people achieve their goal with a great price”
“Our ambition is to be one of the brands that comes to mind for people who want to buy a bike, and consider Berria as an option. On everything from the performance range, Gravel, but also MTB. Our goal is to produce a bike in a technical way and help people achieve their goal at a very attractive price. We're not saying that we want to be the cheapest, because when we invest in research and development, it's expensive. We want to be at the same technical level as the big brands with competitive prices,” concluded David Vittoria.
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