SPAIN is again making a push for a bigger share of the Philippine wine market, as it recently brought to the country 10 leading food and wine companies from the Castilla-La Mancha region.
The Foreign Trade Institute of Castilla-La Mancha (Ipex) in Spain, together with the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (La Cámara), held a one-day expo in Makati City highlighting some of Spain’s best gourmet food and wine.
Ipex Overseas Network Director Marisa Flores said the Philippines is their third stop, after holding the same expo in China and Taiwan.
“Over the last 10 years, there is a big push on food and beverage in China. Along the way, Southeast Asia was lost. We want to offer opportunities in nontraditional markets,” Flores said.
She added that the China market can be a bit misleading, as there are only a few cities there that present opportunities for wine makers.
Flores then said Spain sees potential in the Philippines and is now trying to find importers and distributors in the country.
“The Philippines is on the radar as a new market. We want to expose them and test the market. The Spanish heritage is also here. There is proximity between the two cultures,” she said.
Flores noted a trend in Southeast Asia, where wine is increasingly becoming an alternative drinking staple as opposed to beer, especially among the growing middle class.
“As income improves, the standard of living also improves, which leads to a higher demand for wine,” Flores said.
She added that Spanish wines are very competitive price-wise as compared to their competitors.
“In terms of quality price ratio, it is very difficult to beat Spanish wines,” Flores said.
Aside from winemakers, Flores added that the companies that participated in the expo are producers of hamon, olive oil and a variety of candies.
Bodega Pardo Tolosa Export Manager Maria Jose Veses said they are one of the few companies that offer organic wines.
Veses said that from the vineyard to the production, everything is grown organic. She added that they produce a wide range of wines from the most basic to the highest quality. Veses also said it takes an organic wine producer three years to complete its registration.
For her part, Bogarve Export Manager Isabel Peces Rivero said they want to see if there are opportunities to have their wines sold in the Philippines.
She said Bogarve is already available in China and, aside from the Philippines, they are looking at the Taiwan and Korean markets.
Bogarve was established in 1915 and has 20 varieties of organic and conventional wines. It can produce 19 million liters of wine annually.
Exotic Winds Asia Area Manager Ruben Mato also said they are also looking at the Philippines as a potential market.
Exotic Winds is a family-owned wine cellar with its Asian office based in China. It can customize the wine labels as preferred by consumers.
In Asia the biggest markets for Spanish wines are China, Japan and South Korea.
Image credits: Rodel Alzona