The text discusses the pertinence of Jan de Vries’ concept of “industrious revolution” to refer to the intensification of family labour and complementarity of various economic activities that occurred in some areas of Catalonia during the 18^th century. The study shows that, in some places, the possibilities of each family to turn to different economic activities and earn additional income depended on the opportunities offered by their immediate environment ( “ecotype”) rather than on the degree of “industriousness” of its members. For these reasons, this text describes three ecotypes or districts identified in the Penedes region, then examines in detail one of them, the Bitlles River Valley, the only one where a certain development of the proto-industrial activity took place. The analysis goes from the general to the particular, focusing on a small geographical laboratory, by examining post-mortem inventories of families whose income derived from the agricultural and manufacturing work. For what purpose did these families intensify their productive efforts? Was it for surviving or for consuming new products circulating in the market?