Spain Food Nation Summit returns for second year with narrower focus on fruits and vegetables, wine and gourmet food products

Spain imported over 400,400 tonnes of fruit and vegetables from Spain in Q1 of 2024, according to Fepex

Spain imported over 400,400 tonnes of fruit and vegetables from Spain in Q1 of 2024, according to Fepex

Spanish fresh produce, wine and gourmet food products are taking centre stage at the second annual Spain Food Nation Summit aimed at boosting trade relations between the UK and Spain.

The 2024 summit takes place on the afternoon of 9 September at The Royal Overseas League in central London. Click here to register.

Last year’s event saw the establishment of two advisory councils for both Spanish foods and wines. The councils met on the 25 and 26 of June 2024 and comprised leading figures in the wine, food and gastronomy sectors.

This year’s summit will include three roundtable discussions with members of the two councils, moderated by Fruitnet Europe MD Mike Knowles, Harpers Wine & Spirit editor Andrew Catchpole, and the digital editor of Speciality Food Magazine, Charlotte Smith-Jarvis.

John Shropshire of G’s, Mark Player of AM Fresh UK, and Matt Hancock of Norton Folgate are on the fresh produce roundtable. They will discuss how to advance UK-Spanish relations and explore the potential for further market growth.

In addition, John Valentine of Red Communications will present a summary of the conclusions and recommendations from the two advisory councils, which he moderated.

Meanwhile, John Giles of Promar International will outline two reports on the positioning of Spanish fresh produce and cheese in the UK.

The Economic and Commercial, as well as the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food sections of the Spanish Embassy in London will also talk about Spain’s performance in the UK market.

In addition, the Spanish Minister of Agriculture will attend and will close the event.

Promotional body Foods & Wine from Spain has continued the initiative for a second year. Director Fernando Muñoz said: “Last year’s inaugural summit was a great success, with lots of interesting insights and findings presented.

“This year we wanted to repeat the initiative but narrow down the broad subjects of Spanish food and wine into more focused topics to gain a deeper understanding of these areas and how we can effectively promote and build relationships in the future.

“We are also excited to be offering a selection of Spanish gourmet products and Cava at the networking reception, which will be provided by our sponsors.”

The Spain Advisory Councils are a joint initiative from ICEX Spain Trade and Investment and the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

The afternoon will end with a networking reception with food and Spanish wines to enjoy.