Boreal was founded in 1975 by Jesus Garcia Lopez in the town of Villena, Spain. The area around Villena has a rich history in footwear manufacturing and Jesus was an expert in the manufacturing processes of footwear production. Together with a business partner, Jesus started a new company, Calzados Boreal S.L.

The first products to be developed were a mixture of outdoor styles, including both advanced new lightweight trekking boots and premium quality Norwegian welted leather mountaineering boots.

As the reputation of this new brand grew, it came to the attention of legendary Spanish rock climbing pioneers, the Gallego brothers heard about this new footwear manufacturer and approached Jesus to ask him if he could develop a superior rubber sole unit specifically for rock climbing shoes. Together with Miguel Gallego, Jesus began to experiment with the first ‘sticky rubber’ rock shoes. Boreal’s very first rock shoe, the ‘El Capitan’, was born.