Event in London aims to boost trade between Spain and Britain and explore the potential for market growth in food and wine
A new event is set to take place in central London to highlight the quality of Spanish food and wine and help boost trade relations between Spain and the UK.
Held on 28 September at One Great George Street, the event follows the establishment of two advisory councils for Spanish foods and wines, comprising leading figures in the wine, food, and gastronomy sectors.
Registration is now open for the Spain Food Nation Summit and it will include two round-table discussions with the members of the advisory councils. The moderators will be Fruitnet MD Chris White and Andrew Catchpole, editor of wine industry magazine Harpers Wine & Spirit.
The councils will discuss how to further 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.
Juan Park, from Wine Intelligence, will present results from recent market research on the UK wine market and Spain’s position within it.
Meanwhile, the Spanish Embassy in London will discuss Spain’s performance in the UK market.
The summit is the brainchild of promotional body Foods & Wine from Spain, aiming to improve engagement with one of Spain’s most important export markets. The UK buys billions of pounds worth of food and drink from Spain, from fresh fruit and vegetables to quality meats such as chorizo and Serrano ham, as well as an extensive range of wines.
“We already have a very special trading relationship with the UK across food and wine, which has been built up over many years of trusted partnership,” said Fernando Muñoz, director of Foods & Wine from Spain.
“The new councils, and the summit in September, are the next step in deepening those relationships. We know that discerning UK consumers value the quality and taste of Spanish products, but we also believe there is enormous potential to expand their knowledge of the wide range of food and wines available beyond the ones that are most known and sought out. This event will be the first step in the journey towards doing that.”
The advisory councils are a joint initiative from ICEX Spain Trade and Investment and the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, these organisations said there are plans to develop the Spain Food Nation Summit concept further.
