Mexico City Holds Annual Spanish Gourmet Food and Wine Exhibition

The Annual Spanish Gourmet Food and Wine Exhibition, organized by the Economic and Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy in Mexico and the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) was held in early October in Mexico City. The event represented a great opportunity for small and medium-sized Spanish producers of wine and appetizers such as ham, cheese and olives to present their products and enter the Mexican market.

The expo was attended by 25 wineries, nine importers and four gourmet product companies, all of which participated in the wine and food tasting overseen by renowned chefs such as Ignacio Solana and Miguel Barrera. The objective of the meeting was to present Spanish companies to Mexican importers and distributors, from large supermarkets like Walmart to local shops and restaurants in the capital, or in other highly touristic cities such as Cancun.

María Naranjo, Director of Food, Wine and Gastronomy, ICEX, said that the Mexican food and beverages market is expanding. According to data from the Spanish Wine Markets Observatory, Spanish wine exports to Latin America and the Caribbean grew 27 percent in volume and 36.4 percent in value during 1H22, this despite strong inflation. These figures represent 31.5 million liters of wine, which account for a value of €96.4 million (US$94.05 million). Mexico leads these imports of Spanish wine, with about 43 percent of the total exported to the region, followed by the Dominican Republic. 

“[Mexican] companies have come here in search of something modern and new that does not frighten Mexican palates, which are very accustomed to the famous wines of the area of Rueda and the Ribera del Duero, in the east of Spain…We are very happy with what we have seen so far,” said Jesus Ixta, Owner, BINU, a shop, and wine distributor in Mexico City, to El País.

Nonetheless, good impressions do not always lead to import contracts. "Due to the distance, relationships cool and importers, who at first seemed interested in our products, fade away until they disappear entirely,” said Luis Fernando, a Spanish wine producer. Álvaro Pastor, Economic and Commercial Advisor in the Commercial Office of Spain in Mexico, blames this on the small number of import companies that exist in Mexico. "It is a highly specialized sector in which a small group of companies makes the final decisions. In that process many small and medium-sized Spanish producers are left out," he said. However, according to Pastor, these events are the right solution to such problems.

In 2021, Spain’s exports to Mexico accounted for €4.11 million (US$4.01 million), 28 percent more than in 2020. Mexico is the main Spanish export destination in Latin America and a global leader in the importation of wine, olive oil and cured sausages.