The tenth edition of the Alicante SME of the Year awards has completed its list of honorees by distinguishing six companies for their business excellence. Mindden Soft Tech, from Alicante, has been awarded the SME of the Year Alicante 2026 Award. The roll of honor is completed by Bonpilates S.L. (Internationalization), Vraia Corp S.L. (Digitalization and Innovation), Ambicai Sanidad Ambiental S.L. (Training and Employment), Pico Tex S.L. (Sustainable SME), and Almendra y Miel S.A. (Special Mention Business Legacy).
These awards, organized by Banco Santander, the Chamber of Commerce of Spain, the Chamber of Commerce of Alcoy, the Chamber of Commerce of Alicante, and Diario Información, were presented this Thursday at the Salas Gemelas de Fundició Rodes, in Alcoy. The gala brought together institutional, business, and economic representatives from across the province.
The event was attended by the deputy mayor of Alcoy, Álex Cerradelo; the president of the Chamber of Commerce of Alcoy, María Lucía Pascual; the vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce of Alicante, Eva Miñano; the Commercial Director of Business for Banco Santander, Ángel Manuel López Ramón; the manager of Diario Información, Ángel Angulo; the Zone Director of Business for Banco Santander in the province of Alicante, César Álvarez; the provincial deputy Carlos Pastor; the mayor of Xixona, Isabel López Galera; as well as members of the Executive Committee and Plenary of the Chamber of Commerce of Alcoy and representatives from Banco Santander.
Journalist Rubén Cervera hosted the gala, leading the presentation of the awards. Bonpilates S.L., from Alicante, received the Accésit for Internationalization, accepted by Diana Bernabeu and Beatriz Bernabeu. Vraia Corp S.L., from Aspe, received the Accésit for Digitalization and Innovation, presented to its CEO, Alberto Pradas Martínez. Ambicai Sanidad Ambiental S.L., from Alicante, was recognized in Training and Employment, with the award collected by its manager and founder, Elena Martínez.
The Alcoy-based company Pico Tex S.L. won the Sustainable SME Accésit, presented to its owners and directors, Vicente Juan Pérez Pérez and Jorge Pérez Pérez. The Special Mention "Business Legacy" distinguished Almendra y Miel S.A., from Xixona, an award collected by Isabel Sirvent, representative of the eleventh generation of the family business.
The culminating moment was the presentation of the SME of the Year Alicante 2026 Award to Mindden Soft Tech, from Alicante. Its CEO, Jesús Ruiz Planelles, received the award from the president of the Chamber of Commerce of Alcoy, María Lucía Pascual, and the Commercial Director of Business for Banco Santander, Ángel Manuel López Ramón.
Ángel Manuel López Ramón highlighted the consolidation of the awards after ten years, emphasizing the contribution of SMEs to provincial growth and Alicantinian talent. Jesús Ruiz Planelles, CEO of Mindden Soft Tech, thanked the recognition, underscoring the role of SMEs in generating employment and wealth.
Eva Miñano, vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce of Alicante, closed the event by recalling that SMEs represent over 99% of the province's business fabric and that the Chamber works to make them more competitive. María Lucía Pascual, president of the Chamber of Alcoy, advocated for the essential role of SMEs in the economy of the central regions, highlighting their impact on quality employment and the economic activity of the towns.
