Israel Romero / Monday, September 1, 2025 / Categories: Blog Who knows how to defend and promote the best of Spain in the U.S.? Who knows how to defend and showcase the best of Spain in the U.S.? In the gourmet world, having the best product is not enough. You must know how to tell its story, defend it, and position it. We love hearing that Spanish products are admired worldwide, and that when someone visits Spain they surrender to our gastronomy. But then, why aren’t our brands top sellers in strategic markets like the United States? The answer is harsh, but necessary: we have failed in the way we sell, communicate, and project what “Spanish gourmet” truly means. I don’t say that lightly. These are conclusions after more than three years of continuous work in the U.S., a complex, competitive market full of opportunities that, until now, Spain has not known how to seize. The lack of qualified personnel: the mistake we pay for as a country When I bet on the U.S. at the end of 2022 to start the Made in Spain Gourmet project, the first thing that struck me was the absence of premium Spanish gourmet brands on store shelves. Yes, there were Spanish products, but the vast majority were in more accessible categories—easier to sell, less risky. The authentic Spanish gourmet product was practically missing. Why? Very simple: there is a shortage of professional profiles prepared to defend the price, the value, and the story of these products. Many importers or Spanish entrepreneurs in the U.S. chose the easy path: sell mid-range products with tight margins that don’t require much explanation. And so, we missed the train. The result has been devastating: France and Italy have overtaken us, taking the space that should have been ours. And worst of all, they did it because we ourselves left the way open for them. The mirage of big names It’s true that Spanish cuisine enjoyed a global boom with Ferran Adrià in the ’90s, and that José Andrés is today our best gastronomic ambassador in the U.S. But let’s be honest: not even those big names have served to boost our Spanish gourmet brands in the North American market. Why? Because private brands have been created that do not represent the whole of Spanish gastronomy. And because, in the end, the storytelling has focused on the person, not on the product or the producers. If you are a Spanish brand that enters that game, you can end up diluted in a portfolio where your real value is lost. U.S. importers: strengths and shadows Here is the first real entry filter for our brands. American importers are essential if you don’t have your own importer. Their greatest strengths are obvious: Immediate market access thanks to networks of distributors and retailers. Regulatory know-how: FDA, FSVP, labeling, recalls. Logistics coverage: warehousing, cold chain, 3PL, fulfillment. Speed of execution: they shorten the time to get on shelves. But there are also long shadows: Opportunistic approach: they rotate brands quickly if there aren’t immediate sales. Excessive margins: they raise the final retail price and can ruin competitiveness. Lack of transparency in sales data. Aversion to innovation: they don’t want to educate consumers, only sell what already moves. Territorial restrictions: many importers limit a brand’s expansion to other regions for fear of losing control. In short: necessary, yes. But you should never hand them the master key to your brand’s future. Distributors: closer, but limited The second link are the distributors, who are more in direct contact with the end customer. Their advantages are clear: Access to retailers and restaurants. Theoretical knowledge of the American consumer. Logistics capacity in certain states. Relationships with specialized chains. However, problems also arise here: Little patience with new brands. Saturated portfolios: your product competes with dozens of others. Diluted marketing strategy: they do what they want, not what your brand needs. Slow communication and heavy structures. Again, we face the same dilemma: useful, but not sufficient to build the Spanish gourmet category in the U.S. The Made in Spain Gourmet model: a 360º hybrid At Made in Spain Gourmet we realized: if we wanted Spanish gourmet brands to have their own space in the U.S., we had to create a different model. Neither rely solely on importers, nor leave all the weight to distributors. A hybrid, 360º model that combines the best of each player, but always under our own strategic control. Our keys: Premium curation: we select only SKUs with quality, traceability, and distinctive packaging (EVOO—extra virgin olive oil, canned preserves, cured meats, truffle, snacks). Storytelling and origin: we make Spain an argument for sale. Designations of origin (DO), producer families, artisanal tradition… everything that makes us unique. Comprehensive service: we don’t just export product; we offer regulatory, logistics, marketing, and commercial strategy. Price protection: we defend product value with MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) clauses, preventing price wars that kill the brand. Experiential marketing: we train importers and distributors in storytelling, recipes, applications, tastings… Because if they don’t know how to explain the difference, the sale is lost. The profile we need to sell Spanish gourmet in the U.S. Here is the key to the future. It’s not enough to know logistics, FDA rules, or margins. To sell an authentic Spanish gourmet product in the U.S. you need a hybrid profile: Seller + communicator: able to sell but also to move people emotionally. Educator: who can explain why a black-label Iberian ham is not comparable to a cheaper ham. Ambassador of the Spain brand: who understands they are not selling an isolated product, but a piece of our culture. Patient and strategic: because this is not a market for immediate results, but for medium-term building. If we don’t train professionals with these skills, we will continue letting others (Italians, French) take ground from us. The cornerstone: knowledge + pride We may have the best EVOO, the best preserves, the best ham, or the best cheeses. But if we don’t know how to convey their value, they will sit on a shelf as an expensive product that “doesn’t move.” The cornerstone of this whole process is knowledge. Know how to tell the product’s story, explain its origin, compare it, make it desirable. And pride: defend that ours is not “cheaper or more expensive,” but incomparable. When we get a distributor, a chef, or a retailer to understand the difference between a black-label ham with a DO and one without identity, we are creating value. When we don’t, the only thing we sell is “ham,” and there we will always lose to whoever offers it cheaper. Conclusion: a challenge, but also a unique opportunity The U.S. market is demanding, competitive, and full of obstacles. But it is also the largest global showcase for gourmet brands. If we manage to position Made in Spain in the U.S., the echo will be global. The question is: are we willing to do the hard work of training, communicating, and defending what our gastronomy is worth? At Made in Spain Gourmet we are clear: yes. And that is why we have created a model that does not depend on third parties, but bets on authenticity and excellence. Because selling Spanish gourmet in the U.S. is not selling products. It is defending a culture, a way of understanding life and the pleasure of eating well. And that, friends, only some of us can do. Those who truly believe that the best of Spain deserves to be at the top, even beyond our borders. AUTHOR: Israel Romero, CEO of Made in Spain Gourmet. The Power of Gildas: Tradition Reinvented for the Modern Appetizer Made in Spain Gourmet Essentials – September 2025 Print 3 Rate this article: No rating Please login or register to post comments.