Beverages • Forum

Spanish beverage companies of all sorts are staying on top of the latest market trends in order to satisfy local consumers and boost exports.

Ramon Raventós Basagoiti CEO, RAVENTÓS CODORNIU RAVENTÓS CODORNIU HAS SOME OF THE BEST WINERIES IN EVERY REGION.

It is pretty balanced in terms of how much each winery contributes to the business, although some are bigger because the facilities are larger or the brand is older, like Codorniu or Raimat. Our strength is our portfolio; no companies could have dreamed to put one like this together a few years ago. We did it by acquiring two important wineries, Artesa in Napa Valley and Septima in Mendoza. We own four houses of cava, with the best known one being Codorniu. We own the leading high-end winery in the region, Parxet, and we are leading the high-end segment in Spain. We also own Mont-Ferrant, and are working on a beautiful single vineyard project called Titiana. We are building a strong international team and trying to find the best partners in every country. We export to 70 different countries, but we are designing a strategy for every country by finding the right partner for the long term. Our partners are distributors and producers of local beverages, which makes them strong competitors in the local market, and pure importers with various profiles. Today, our export turnover is just below 50% of the total and in the future, we plan to push it to 75%. Notably, our wineries are open for professional visits, and we are also trying to promote ecotourism.

Juan Renart Montalat CEO, VICHY CATALAN DR. MODEST FUREST, OUR FOUNDER, DISCOVERED A NATURAL SPRING IN 1881

after a shepherd told him about its healing properties. He started analyzing this water and discovered it was beneficial for the human body. That is how he started the spa and water factory, which became the Vichy Catalan Corporation in 1990. The expansion of the portfolio began in 1970 with the acquisition of other springs such as Malavella, Les Creus, and Fontd’Or. Today, we count upon more than 20 brands. Recently, in 2004, we started selling internationally. In 2012, we launched the Vichy Catalan Lemon, and then in 2018, we launched the Vichy Catalan Fruit brand. In 2004, we decided to start exporting in order to expand our coverage. Today, it is a consolidated department, thanks to new technologies that facilitate communication with our consumers from all over the world. We are present in 50 countries, but exports represent only 5% of our turnover. We are mostly present in Central and North America. We expand into other countries via distributor partners who are seeking a premium, healthy, and sustainable product. Packaging has become more important due to new trends, which is why we took the decision to improve the packaging of our products. In line with recent trends, we are using recyclable materials for packaging.

Jonathan Stordy CEO, GRUPO ÀGORA WE ARE THE OLDEST BREWERY IN SPAIN,

which is amazing considering how important authenticity and history are to brands. My personal theory is that Spanish beer is better than Italian or French beer because of the tradition of German brewers coming to Spain. The company generates EUR200 million in sales and EUR60 million from the distribution of other brands, such as Coca-Cola in Aragon. We also distribute Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Maximum, coffee brands, water brands, juice brands, and everything a bar needs. The strategy is to satisfy customer needs with a broad range of products, including Asturiana milk, for example. At the recent World Beer Challenge, we won 50% of the awards given to Spanish breweries, proving we are highly respected in terms of quality, which acts a great foundation for the future of the company. We control our own distribution in our core areas of Zaragoza and Barcelona, which make us quite different from several other brewers. There are two big trends that are shaping the sector. The first is the specialty segment, which includes ales and toasted beers. Then, there is the wellness segment, which includes beers with little to no alcohol content. At the retail end, there is great pressure on the shelf because so much innovation is coming out. Our master brewer, Antonio Fumanal, is a great innovator in specialty and wellness beers, which is the best way today to increase value, and he is our go-to guy for innovation.