After Salón Gourmets, 45 International Professionals Tour Spain to See and Experience its Gastronomy First-Hand

One of the most important international trade fairs in the world, Salón Gourmets, recently came to a close, and afterwards the Hosted Buyers’ Programs got underway.

A total of 45 international buyers from 29 different countries participated in organized trips around the country to speak with producers and learn all about

Spain’s diverse, high-quality gastronomy. They visited producers of olive oil, wine, Ibérico products, canned goods, among many other products.

All of the visits were co-organized by Foods and Wines from Spain and each region’s individual institution, such as Sodercan (Cantabria), the Navarre government, IPEX (Castile-La Mancha), ICE (Castile and León) , and Andalucía Trade.

Cantabria

A group of 9 were part of a reverse trade mission to Cantabria for three days. This included visits to companies like Bodegas Sel D’Aiz; Joselín – Sobaos & Quesadas, for a closer look at regional pastries and sweets; Patatas Vallucas, a producer of artisanal potato chips; Siderit, to try its gin, whisky, and vodka; Lotamar, to dive deeper into its canned foods; Quesoba, to experience its cheeses; Santander Fine Food; and DouGall’s brewery.

Navarre

On the discovery trip to Navarre, 10 of the buyers were welcomed by Kamiku, an internationally-awarded cheesemaker; Cárnicas Galar, known for its meat and cured meats; Sociedad Cooperativa Nekeas, a wine and olive oil producer; Bodegas Otazu, an revamped old winery; Conservas Pedro Luis, which offers fresh, seasonal products and gourmet and organic canned foods; Conservas Rosara, known for its canned fruits and vegetables like asparagus and piquillo peppers; Gvtarra, specialists in vegetables and legumes; and Bodegas Ochoa, an organic winery.

Castile-La Mancha

This route, with 5 participants, included stops at Incarlopsa, known for their fresh, cured Ibérico pork products; Familia Suárez, which is well-known for black garlic, marinades, alioli, and other sauces; Kiele, experts in semi-conserved fish; Bodega y Quesería Montalvo Wilmot, with outstanding wine and cheese; Morainsa, to try their olive oil; Quesos HM, which is an amazing Manchego cheese producer; and Torrecaza, which makes high-quality meats.

Castile and León

The 8 members on this mission had the chance to meet regional businesses such as Canard, a duck meat distributor; Cervezas Mica, known for its high-quality beer; Bodegas Raíz y Quesos Páramo de Guzmán, to sample their wine and cheese; Quesos Entrepinares, another outstanding cheesemaker; Eman Vara Gourmet, an extra virgin olive oil and vinegar producer; Honza Natural Foods, experts in mushrooms; Cecinas Nieto, dry-cured beef producers; De Lo Nuestro Artesano, which offers a wide range of products including honey, legumes, and cold cuts; and Apícola del Bierzo, which makes high-quality honey.

Andalusia

The trade mission of 14 professionals to Andalusia toured through multiple locations where participants learned about quintessential Spanish products. The first stop was Bodegas Málaga Virgen (Fuente de Piedra, Málaga), a family winery with more than 130 years of experience that produces references under Málaga - Sierras de Málaga DO. They also had the chances of visiting Oleoestepa, a producer of EVOO in Estepa (Seville). Next meeting was in Destilerías Martes Santo in Huelva, one of Spain’s oldest active distilleries. And finally they headed to Ibéricos Vázquez, a reference for Ibéricos -cold cuts and fresh meats- in Sierra de Aracena, in Huelva.