Learning from Spain's senary industries

The wine cellar at Codorniu, the oldest cava-producing company in Barcelona, Spain / Courtesy of Codorniu

Spain’s wine, artichoke and jamon have successfully established their global reputation by combining tourism with primary production and secondary processing industries. This is the first of a two-part series on Spain’s senary industries. — ED.

By Yun Suh-young

BARCELONA, Spain — Visiting farmland and production facilities of popular Spanish specialties such as cava, jamon and even artichokes have become sought-after tour programs for people in search of a unique experience in Spain.

The programs were the idea of local producers who were seeking new ways of commercializing and promoting their products, and creating revenue streams. They decided to integrate their resources into a single package — combining the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors into the business.

The relatively new term, “senary industry,” or “sixth-level industry,” although the concept has existed for years, defines the activities of these producers. It refers to the combination of primary production industries (agriculture and fisheries), the secondary processing industry and the tertiary service industry (1+2+3=6), which increases the competitiveness of the original agricultural products.

The exterior of the central reception building at Codorniu / Korea Times photos by Yun Suh-young

The term is being widely used under the current Park Geun-hye administration as it is a major initiative by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to help evolve Korea’s primary agriculture industries into senary industries.

Examples of Korea’s senary industries include traditional liquor, traditional desserts, herbs, rice cakes and soy beans, to name a few. The market is expected to expand to include more fields.

Cava winery

Cava, a Spanish word synonymous with sparkling wines, has already established its reputation as uniquely Spanish.

The name “cava” actually means “cave” in Spanish, but the sparkling wines were given the name to pay homage to the way it is made (inside a cave), according to a tour guide at Codorniu, the oldest cava-producing company in Spain, located 50 kilometers Northwest of Barcelona.

Although sparkling wines are widely produced across the world, notably in France’s Champagne region, the Spanish sparkling wine “cava” was invented by the Codorniu family in 1872. The family company’s history dates back to 1551. Now cava is widely produced in the Catalonia region of Spain.

Codorniu’s tour guide Dani Segura takes visitors on a trolley ride inside an underground tunnel.

“Ninety-five percent of Spain’s cava comes from this region. Cava is a Barcelona way of living or Mediterranean way of living so to speak,” said Victor Sanchez, PR manager at Codorniu.

Cava is made in two major stages: the primary and secondary fermentation processes. During the first fermentation process (inside an oak barrel), still wine is made from grapes and it is during the second fermentation process (inside a bottle) that they turn into what is called cava.

Different flavored wines are produced from six different vineyards owned by Codorniu at three different climatic areas. Although still wine production took place at the central Codorniu winery in the past, now each vineyard has its own production facilities where the first fermentation process begins. For the second fermentation process, the wine is sent to the Codorniu’s cave located 20 meters beneath ground of the central reception building.

A lunch table set up for a group of visitors at the El Baix Llobregat Agrarian Park in Barcelona, Spain

Inside the cave is a tunnel that stretches 30 kilometers in length. There, tourists are given a round trip trolley ride to get the gist of the size and function of the cave. The underground tunnel also functions as a museum exhibiting wine-making equipment such as an old bottling machine. The tour guide explains here how the still wine is bottled, kept and fermented as well as how the lees, the residue from fermentation, is ejected from the bottle.

“The second fermentation takes place in the bottle and can last up to four years,” said Dani Segura, a tour guide at Codorniu.

“In the old days, we would screw open the cork and shed the residue. Now we use advanced technology to freeze just the neck of the bottle to extract the lees collected after second fermentation,” he said.

When the cave tour is over, visitors are taken to the tasting room to taste the different ages of cava produced at Codorniu.

The farmland inside the El Baix Llobregat Agrarian Park

“Fresh and fruity tastes characterize the cava of Codorniu,” said Segura.

The winery is an example of a senary industry — being involved from the cultivation of grapes at its own vineyards to wine production, distribution and sales, and marketing and tourism.

Codorniu averages 230 million euros in yearly sales of wine, 51 percent of which comes from cava. Its international market share is around 47 percent.

The tour program costs 35 to 50 euros per person on a group tour which includes a trip around the cave and wine tasting.

the neck of the bottle to extract the lees collected after second fermentation,” he said.

Artichoke farm

In the middle of the metropolitan city of Barcelona, an urban farm covering 2,938 hectares lies to the south of the city, fully within the metropolitan area.

The El Baix Llobregat Agrarian Park is a farming area accommodating 1,500 farmers and related personnel, 250 farming companies and 600 farms.

Although farming took place here since the 19th century, the unionized farm in the form of Agrarian Park Consortium was launched in 1998 led by the Barcelona Provincial Council, Baix Llobregat County Council and the Unio de Pagesos (a farmers’ union), joined later by the 14 local authorities in the area and the Catalonian government.

When entering the park, visitors are welcomed by fields, which mostly produce artichokes although some grow cherries, peaches and apricots.

Some 7,340 tons of artichokes, Catalonia’s highest amount, are produced every year on a total area of 565 hectares. It is the most important crop for the region.

“Why artichokes? Because they’re compatible to this environment,” said Raimon Roda, manager of the park, while introducing the farm.

“The Llobregat River which flows near this land used to pass through a coal mine. Its water contains minerals dissolved from the mines which made it appropriate for farming artichokes.”

Although the major part of its income comes from selling its produce to local markets in the vicinity, the agrarian park faithfully adheres to offering experiential programs for visitors such as cooking classes.

When the group of reporters from Korea visited, they were offered lunch featuring dishes using produce from the farm such as dried artichoke chips. The dishes were cooked by a chef there, who also teaches the cooking class.

“Holeritourism” is what the farm’s consortium calls such concept of touring and experiencing the farm. They define it as “garden tourism” as the Latin prefix “holeris” means vegetable. Through this program, the farm offers seasonal activities and tours, education on seasonal products, guided tours by farmers, cooking workshops and tasting sessions of the farm’s produce.