Group CIO, awarded Gold Medal by Island Council of Tenerife

Group CIO has received the Gold Medal of the Island awarded by the Island Council of Tenerife, for its contribution, over its more than 100 years of activity, to economic and social development.

Group CIO, whose main activity was for years focused on the tobacco sector, began operations in 1902, alongside Luis Zamorano Benítez, founder of one of the first tobacco factories in the Canary Islands, with several warehouses and tobacconist’s shops. In 1949, Luis Zamorano Tais created the company (CITA) Centro Industrial de Tabaqueros Asociados, which achieved success with the cigarette brands “Rex”, “Record”, “XXX” and especially “Coronas”.

A pioneer in the industry in the Canary Islands, Luis Zamorano Tais diversified his business and was the founding member of several companies such as “Siete Mares” (devoted to the import of meat products), “Frigoten” (frozen food company), “Montesano” (ham and cold meat company), “Aguas de Vilaflor” (Fuentealta water bottling company) and “supermercado San Antonio”. He also created “Ganigo”, the best art gallery on the island and tackled the property sector with buildings on central streets in Santa Cruz and industrial buildings.

The island council of Tenerife considered Group CIO to be a benchmark of business excellence in the tourism, industry, service, and property sectors, thanks to its capacity to innovate, its flexibility and its long-term approach with which it has been able to develop a business vision over its trajectory.

The objective of the Island´s Gold Medal is to award extraordinary service that contributes to the economic and social development of Tenerife, and in this regard the Island Council recognises that “talking about CIO means talking about the history of Tenerife and the Canaries, which over several generations, has encouraged the generation of an economic community and the creation of job opportunities”.

The CEO of Grupo CIO, Francisco Javier Zamorano, considers this designation an honour and a recognition of the work and effort of a family company, which has four generations and more than a century of history, without forgetting the figure of Luis Zamorano Tais, with his great entrepreneurial vision.

“Our success is based on our capacity to innovate, our flexibility and forward-looking approach. Effort, perseverance and the ability to detect business opportunities from part of the DNA of the Zamorano family, which has led us to become a strong group, with leading brands in different business areas, such as The Tais Hotels and its flagship, hotel Bahía del Duque, in the luxury tourism sector, Fuentealta at an industrial level and Group Record in the services sector”.

Likewise, Francisco Javier Zamorano thanked the Island Council of Tenerife for its ongoing support as one of the crucial pillars for the development and consolidation of CIO and assumed the commitment to continue to work every day for the quality and excellence of the service, looking after the Group´s values and supporting the team of staff that has made this trajectory possible.