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May 11 2026
Hosted Buyers Tour Spain For Immersive Culinary Experiences Following Salón Gourmets 2026
The world’s leading showcase of fine food food and beverages, Salón Gourmets 2026, took place in Barcelona from April 13 to 16, bringing together leading players in the F&B industry. As part of the event, Foods and Wines from Spain has once again organized its Hosted Buyers Program, one of the fair’s flagship internationalization initiatives.
This year’s edition welcomed around 300 international guests from more than 90 countries, selected in close collaboration with the Economic and Commercial Offices of Spain abroad. Participants include importers and distributors of Spanish food products, as well as representatives of Restaurants from Spain-certified establishments and Colmados from Spain specialty stores. All attendees come to Salón Gourmets to network, explore new opportunities and establish collaborations with Spanish companies.
As part of this year’s event, 32 international buyers have been invited by Foods and Wines from Spain (FWS) to participate in a special gastronomic discovery program. The visitors were made up of leaders in their field, including CEOs, managers, sales managers, chefs and purchasing managers from 25 different countries across six continents. Countries represented were Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, Mexico, Poland, Qatar, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, the UK, and the US
FWS handpicked these international buyers, who engaged in B2B meetings, tailored networking activities, and sector-specific programs designed to showcase the diversity and quality of Spain’s gastronomic offering.
Four Post-Fair Trips Across Spain
Following Salón Gourmets 2026, ICEX offered a unique experience to the 32 invited buyers. They embarked on four separate trips to some of Spain’s key culinary regions, providing first-hand insight into the sheer quality, diversity, and innovation at the heart of Spain’s food industry.
Participants travelled to Almería, Granada, Castille-León, and Ávila, where they visited vineyards and production facilities, met local producers, and discovered protected designations of origin, all the while tasting a wide range of Spanish food products.
Almería
Ten buyers from a variety of continents traveled to Almería during a trip organized by FWS.
The first day featured a guided visit to the olive oil mill Uleila del Campo, where they learned about olive cultivation, milling techniques and the characteristics of the extra virgin olive oils produced by the company. This was followed by a gourmet lunch hosted at the olive oil mill featuring local products.
Next, they visited Cárnicas Diego Molina for a tour of the company’s facilities and its specialization in traditional meat processing, followed by a dinner featuring a selection of products from companies belonging to the ‘Sabores Almería’ brand.
Buyers enjoyed a guided visit to the Fuente Victoria winery and a presentation of its wine production, learning about the vineyard, the winemaking process, and the wines produced in the Alpujarra Almeriense.
A traditional lunch was taken at Bodegas Cepa Bosquet, featuring local gastronomy paired with the winery’s from Cepa Bosquet’s extensive collection.
Granada
A group of four buyers from Denmark, Greece, Hungary, and Turkey travelled to Granada, in a trip organized by FWS and Cámara Granada, a public organization that supports the region’s business sector.
The delegation visited Aceites OMED, a family-owned company specializing in
award-winning, Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil and premium wine vinegars. Their high-end range, which includes unique smoked oils and monovarietal EVOOs, is a benchmark for international haute cuisine and the global gourmet retail sector.
Next, they visited Industrias Espadafor, a renowned specialist in non-alcoholic beverages and syrups, with a rich history stretching back over 80 years. The day concluded with dinner at La Cueva de 1900.
The following day, buyers were immersed in the artisanal world of Cárnicas Zurita, a
specialist in high-quality fresh and processed meats, with over 40 years of expertise in the sector. They then headed to La Palma Group, the world’s largest cherry tomato producer and a benchmark for sustainable innovation in horticulture. The visit included a curated tasting menu showcasing their award-winning produce. The day ended with a visit to the world-famous Alhambra and a thrilling flamenco show at El Templo del Flamenco.
Castile-León
The delegation first paid a visit to PISTACYL in Carpio, Valladolid, where they tasted
products, including wines from their winery in Rueda, pistachios, olive oils, and more. This was followed by a traditional tapas dinner in Valladolid at Trasto Restaurante.
The next day, they enjoyed lunch and a visit to Aurelio Castro y Gonzalez, a company specializing in high-quality Iberian pork products including 100% acorn-fed Iberian ham.
A cheese tasting at Lácteos Zamoro was followed by a visit to the Bodegas Bigardo vineyard and canned seafood specialist Cabo Vírgenes España.
The next day, the group explored the diversity of the region’s agrifood sector, visiting Pago de Valdecuevas, a leading olive oil mill in Medina de Rioseco.
Family winery Bodega Negón gave the group a taste of tradition and some of the best wines in Burgos. The experience ended with a tapas dinner at Valladolid’s Villa Paramesa, showcasing the city’s excellence in Spain’s tapas tradition.
Ávila
International buyers from Bulgaria, South Korea, Mexico, and the Czech Republic visited Ávila with a trip organized by FWS and Ávila Auténtica, a promotion initiative created by the local council.
The buyers visited La Comanda de Vico, where traditional cuisine is combined with
advanced technology. They enjoyed a tasting of gourmet dishes, before savoring organic wines made from 100% Garnacha tinta grapes at Bodega Nietos de Señora María.
Participants were given a masterclass in Spanish olive oil with visits to two distinct venues. First, San Pedro Bautista, an olive oil cooperative established in the 1950s, featuring different olive varieties such as Barranqueña, Cornicabra, Albare, and Manzanilla. Next was a trip to La Moraleda & Los Llanos de Gredos, makers of premium extra virgin olive oil, with olive groves on the southern slopes of the Sierra de Gredos.
Don Juan del Águila winery showcased a wide range of flavor profiles, from robust red wines
to crisp whites and vibrant rosés. The delegation savored the flavors of the finest Spanish figs at Capra Hispánica, a cooperative invested in the production and commercialization of the product.
In the south of Ávila, participants visited Prodetiétar, an olive oil cooperative primarily dedicated to the production of high-quality olive oil. The visit concluded with excursions to three vineyards: Daniel Ramos, featuring traditional vineyards of Garnacha and Albillo Real; Bodegas Castellanas, where wines are produced in their Llano las Navas vineyard using 100% Garnacha grapes; and Tierras de Cebreros winery, which focuses on Ávila’s native grapes – Garnacha for the reds and Albillo Real for the white.
Together, these four missions highlighted Spain’s rich culinary heritage and reinforced Spain’s position as a leading global supplier of high-quality, innovative food products.
