BIT will have the most advanced coffee terminal in southern Europe at the Port of Barcelona

• The investment in the construction of the new terminal is 30 MEUR, of which the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona assumes twenty and the Port of Barcelona, ​​ten.

• The project was presented today, which provides continuity and reinforces the presence of SGS and Empresas Masiques in a CZFB concession in the Port of Barcelona.

Barcelona, December 18, 2025.- Barcelona International Terminal, S.A.(BIT), a joint venture between SGS and Empresas Masiques, will have the most advanced coffee terminal in southern Europe at the Port of Barcelona. The construction of the new terminal represents a total investment of 30 MEUR, of which the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB) will assume 20 million and the Port of Barcelona, ​​10 million for the relocation of BIT’s current facilities, motivated by Elian‘s need for space to expand the terminal that this company has in the port area.

The new BIT will be built on Section VI of the Ronda del Port, on a 53,380 m² plot that the CZFB will manage under concession for the next 50 years. It will feature two warehouses connected by a canopy, offices and service areas, and spaces for truck loading and unloading, with a total built area of 27,476.79 m². The facilities will incorporate thermal and photovoltaic solar systems, as well as constant temperature and humidity control to guarantee the best conditions for storing green coffee. Therefore, the new BIT facilities will be specifically designed and built to store and manage coffee logistics with the highest standards of quality and efficiency and will be prepared to handle traffic increases in the coming years.

The project, with an execution period of 36 months, was presented today by the President of the Port of Barcelona, José Alberto Carbonell; special delegate of the State at the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona, Pere Navarro; the CEO of Empresas Masiques, José Miguel Masiques; and the Director of BIT, Marc Tauste.

The project for the future BIT terminal has been developed after a long process in which institutions and companies have worked together. The need to expand the terminal of the agro-industrial company Elian, occupying the land of BIT’s facilities managed by the CZFB at the Álvarez de la Campa dock, in order to respond to a €200 million project presented on November 21, required coordinated action by the Port of Barcelona, the CZFB, and BIT to make it possible. At the same time, it created the opportunity to build a new coffee terminal, which will be the largest and most advanced in Southern Europe. Since BIT has the fiscal status of a Free Trade Zone, it was necessary to reach an agreement with the CZFB to ensure that the future facilities maintain this customs status.

The special state Delegate at the CZFB, Pere Navarro, emphasized: “This is a forward-looking project that exemplifies how, when there is a will to achieve objectives and work is carried out in a coordinated manner between the public and private sectors, the results are very positive, generating opportunities for people and the territory. At the same time, through this initiative, the CZFB once again reaffirms our commitment to sustainable reindustrialization and to generating economic value and employment.”

For his part, the President of the Port of Barcelona, José Alberto Carbonell, highlighted: “BIT is the most important green coffee terminal in Southern Europe, and the new project we are presenting today will allow it to maintain this leadership position. This project is also an exercise in institutional collaboration. We have worked with Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona and with the companies involved, Masiques and SGS, to better organize the territory and ensure that each activity has the right conditions to grow and remain competitive.”

Masiques’ CEO, José Miguel Masiques, recalled that this project “is one more step, but a very important one, in a success story that began many years ago between the Port of Barcelona, the Consorci de la Zona Franca and BIT” and framed the new project within the relevance that Spain has in the international coffee market and the role played by BIT, which currently manages around 80% of the green coffee that arrives in the country.”

BIT’s director, Marc Tauste, explained that “our new facilities will have two separate warehouses that will host different activities related to coffee logistics. The modern equipment we will have, fully automated, will allow us to double the current production capacity and optimize logistics operations. We will have one of the most modern and sustainable coffee terminals in the world.”

BIT, a joint venture formed by SGS and Empresas Masiques, was established at the Port of Barcelona in the 1980s—after the liberalization of the coffee market in Spain—with Free Trade Zone status, which allowed local and international operators to carry out their logistics operations in Spain and with third countries under the most competitive tax treatment.

The company grew rapidly to become the most important green coffee terminal in Southern Europe and a key player in consolidating Barcelona as the main gateway for green coffee in the south of the continent. Currently, 80% of the coffee arriving in Spain passes through the Port of Barcelona.