Orbea has launched the Orbea Foundation, a new organisation that aims to expand the Spanish bike brand's social and environmental work through cycling, education and community projects.
The foundation marks the next step in Orbea's long-standing community work. While the company says it has supported clubs, schools, charities and research organisations since becoming a worker-owned cooperative in 1969, the new organisation gives it a dedicated structure to develop its own initiatives and expand support for third-party projects.
"Organisations have both the ability and the responsibility to help improve the communities they are part of," said Arrate Vidarte, director of the Orbea Foundation.
"As a cooperative, we have always believed that lasting change comes through collaboration and by combining our strengths.
"We see this in projects that create opportunities wherever they take place, from trail-building initiatives that generate economic value in the Pyrenees to programmes that promote more sustainable mobility."
The Orbea Foundation will focus on five areas: sustainable mobility, sport and wellbeing, education and cooperativism, social justice, and cultural and sporting heritage.
Among the projects already receiving support are Spain's Zona Zero trail network and Bera Bike Park, alongside Peak Pursuits, a Canadian programme that helps young people access cycling, and Pisgah Area SORBA's trail restoration work in the United States.
Elsewhere, the foundation is backing educational partnerships with technical institutions linked to the cycling industry, while its social projects include collaborations with the Spanish Cancer Association, ALS charity Dale CandELA, UNICEF initiatives in Africa and Germany-based CYCLITS, which promotes greater inclusivity in cycling.
Organisations wishing to partner with or seek support from the foundation will be able to apply through the Orbea Foundation website.
The move sees Orbea join a growing number of cycling brands investing beyond product development, using bikes as a platform to support healthier communities, improve access to sustainable transport and help preserve riding destinations for future generations.
