Agriculture, Fisheries and Food awards the extraordinary Alimentos de España 2021 prize to the chiringuitos (beach bars)

Given that there are hundreds of chiringuitos scattered along the Spanish coast, the jury decided to personalise the prize for Ayo in Nerja (Malaga), which in the 54 years since it opened has become a reference point for Andalusia, Spain and Europe.

Its owner, Francisco Ortega Olalla, at 83 years of age, is an example of dedication and commitment to his environment, both in the employment of people of different nationalities and in the search for emblematic products from the coast and the preparation of one of the most characteristic and well-known dishes of Spanish gastronomy, paella.

This award is intended to recognise the important role that all catering establishments have played during the pandemic and their permanent presence in a lifestyle linked to the Mediterranean diet, which allows us to enjoy and share the Food of Spain.

The business organisation Hostelería de España, founded in 1977, represents more than 315,000 establishments. Of these, restaurants, bars, cafes and pubs employ almost 1.3 million people and have a turnover of around 99 billion euros, which translates into a 4.9% contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The Alimentos de España awards recognise the work carried out by companies and professionals who have distinguished themselves by producing, offering and disseminating Spanish quality foods and who have contributed to the development of the food sector in a sustainable and efficient manner.

The 2021 winners were chosen from more than 100 nominations. For the deliberations, MAPA relied on a jury made up of people with extensive experience and knowledge of the agri-food and fisheries sector.

In this thirty-fourth edition, the awards in the different categories were as follows:

Food industry

This prize was awarded to Agropal Sociedad Cooperativa Limitada, from Palencia, which has developed a model that has moved the food chain forwards at different stages with the aim of adding greater value to its products. It has been able to develop first-class agro-industrial projects, from the production of agricultural and livestock raw materials, their transformation through agri-food industries, to making them available to the consumer through distribution and various points of sale.

It has been able to successfully manage the resources in the area in which it operates, with a clear vocation to integrate several local cooperatives that bring together families of farmers and stockbreeders to gain scale and efficiency, with a proven management capacity, and a commitment to a sustainable production system that makes the most of local resources. It is one of the largest cooperatives in Spain, with a supra-regional scope.

Its cheese "El 5º Sabor Umami" was awarded in the previous edition of the Alimentos de España Prize for Best Cheese in the blended cheese category. They present R&D proposals and investments in dairy industries with the Cerrato Provita cheese range, which provides natural probiotic ferments. They develop an initiative to improve gestational success, fattening and profitability of beef cattle. They also innovate through high-yield seed and fertiliser centres and in pulses.

Special mention for entrepreneurial initiative

In the same food industry category, the runner-up prize for entrepreneurial initiative was awarded to KALEKOI S.L., from Lalín (Pontevedra).

The company was founded in the Galician countryside in 2015 as an initiative by two young people to process the milk obtained from the family farm. It has forged a differentiating proposal in a traditional market, which allows it to position itself with alternative products based on quality and the preservation of agricultural activity.

Kalekoi has added innovative products such as chestnut yoghurt or apple and cinnamon yoghurt to its traditional yoghurt processing. It has also created a line of yoghurts made with A2 milk that, according to recent studies, allows for better assimilation of nutrients. It is the first company in Galicia and the second in Spain to use this type of milk in its products. It carefully selects the packaging with 100% recyclable elements.

Organic production

Suerte Ampanera, from Colmenar Viejo (Madrid), a highly recognised and decorated company with 25 years' experience in the production of dairy products of high organoleptic quality, won the Alimentos de España 2021 award in this category.

It has one of the best goat herds of the native Murcian-Granadine breed, a dairy centre where the milk is processed and its own distribution, commercial management and quality departments. Both the extensive livestock farming process and the milk production and processing have the European Organic Certificate.

In addition to livestock farming practices that improve the environment, they have a solar photovoltaic installation that covers 30% of the farm's energy needs. Its system of controlled grazing over the years and manuring with the farm's own manure has led to a gradual improvement of the pastures and trees. It generates hardly any waste, as the whey is used as feed for the goats and is rich in protein and minerals.

Food internationalisation

The winner in this category was Aceites García de la Cruz, from Madridejos (Toledo), a family-run company for 150 years, whose products are present in more than 40 countries on five continents. It has opened a subsidiary in the United States with an office in New York and another in Oregon.

It has a wide portfolio of high quality products, including an organic production line, to suit the needs of international customers. Its exports are making excellent progress, with an increase in international sales of 187% in the last six years. It is an established brand in demanding markets such as Japan and North America, and in the last three years it has managed to enter countries as diverse as Kazakhstan, Gabon and Moldova, for example.

Fisheries and aquaculture production

The prize in this category went to Gambanatural de España, S.L- Noray Seafood, S.L., from Medina del Campo (Valladolid), which stands out for its innovative character, accredited by the production of a marine species such as prawns in the middle of the Castilian plateau, more than 300 kilometres from the coast.

The 13-year-old company uses a sustainable and efficient indoor production system, the first in the world for white shrimp farming, which generates little waste, something that is particularly difficult in aquaculture. It integrates the entire production process from reproduction to consumption, guaranteeing the correct use of resources and minimising emissions.

Restaurants

The restaurant El Olivar, in Moratalla (Murcia) won the award in this category. Owned by Fernando Martínez Vázquez Parga, this establishment has two Repsol Suns and is the main centre of the Cofradía Amigos del Aceite de Oliva Virgen.

It has defined more than 50 cooking techniques based on the use of extra virgin olive oil and also produces and bottles the "Flor de Cuquillo" single-varietal oil, as a commitment to local produce.

In the kitchen of this establishment, local products take centre stage and new techniques (edible paper) and ingredients (elaborinas) have been developed, the result of R&D work in collaboration with different universities. His preparations, recipes and works are published in various books and he has created a free bilingual App (Spanish and English) with information about the culture and terminology of extra virgin olive oil.

Communication

The 2021 prize in this category was awarded to Adoración Fernández Armero and Enrique Jacinto Trenado for the En Clave Turismo programme, broadcast by Radio Exterior de España.

The jury valued the fact that it is a programme that presents food in a simple way and with global messages to a general audience. Its listeners include Spaniards living abroad who act as Food of Spain ambassadors, as well as foreigners who study Spanish and who, through this programme, learn more about the richness and gastronomic diversity of our country.

The programme discusses food from different perspectives such as tourism, the qualities and properties of the products - with special focus on those of differentiated quality and those of organic production -, cooking, gastronomy and sustainability. This programme directly involves producers (farmers, livestock farmers, fishermen), and the jury highlighted the tribute it paid during the pandemic to the agri-food sector in gratitude for having continued to work to ensure that there was no shortage of food.

Along with the 2021 Alimentos de España awards, MAPA also awarded the Alimentos de España awards for the best wine 2022 and Alimentos de España awards for the best ham 2022, which are awarded independently.

Alimentos de España Award for the best wine, 2022

This award went to Ramón do Casar Nobre 2020, from the Ribeiro Designation of Origin, made by Ramón do Casar, S.L., from Castrelo do Miño (Ourense).

A jury made up of prestigious people in the wine sector took part in awarding this prize and chose the winner from among the five wines with the highest scores in the Bacchus 2022 International Competition.

Ramón do Casar Nobre 2020 is a vintage white wine aged in French oak barrels for 3 months and made from the Treixadura grape variety, produced by the winery. Ramón do Casar Nobre embodies and pays tribute to the wines of yesteryear produced in this area in small family wineries that were made and preserved in oak or Galician chestnut barrels, which gave them unique characteristics. It is a wine with good structure and a perfect balance between unctuousness and freshness.

The Ramón do Casar winery is a project started by the three González Sabucedo brothers to fulfil the dream of their father, Ramón, who after spending 20 years in Venezuela was able to return and gradually buy the land where these wines are now produced.

The farm has approximately 20 hectares of its own vineyards located on the banks of the Miño River, planted in 2000 with native varieties on granitic soils, at an altitude of 350 metres above sea level, and with an Atlantic oceanic climate influence.

Alimentos de España Award for the best ham, 2022

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food grants this award, now in its fourth edition, to promote quality ham and improve its image and position in the markets. There are two different categories: Bellota Ibérico and Serrano or Other Recognised Quality. There were 55 entries this year, 34 in the first category and 21 in the second.

In the first category, the prize was awarded to the 100% Iberian acorn-fed ham Aljomar, presented by Jamones Aljomar, S.A., from Guijuelo (Salamanca).

In the category of Serrano Ham or Other Recognised Quality, the award went to Jamón Serrano 24 - Monte Nevado, presented by Industrias Cárnicas El Rasillo, S.A., from El Rasillo de Cameros (La Rioja), of the Jamón Serrano ETG.

For the sample selection procedure, organisation and logistics in the reception of the samples, as well as the sensory evaluation sessions, MAPA had the collaboration of the Public Institute of Agri-Food Research and Technology of the Government of Catalonia (IRTA) and the Analysis and Innovation Service for Food of Animal Origin of the University of Extremadura (SIPA).

Throughout the process, as is customary in the Alimentos de España Awards, the traceability and anonymity of the samples was guaranteed. The sensory evaluation consisted of two phases: a visual phase to evaluate the external and cut appearance, and an olfactory-gustatory phase to recognise aroma, flavour, texture and other mouthfeel, persistence and residual taste, as well as the overall impression. At the end of the tastings, the leftover product was donated to charity, after consent was given by the participants.

Non official translation