Spanish authorities have launched a marketing campaign in China aimed at garnering interest in Spanish cuisine and drinks.
“Eat Spain Drink Spain” has been previously rolled out across several other nations but is making its Chinese debut across multiple cities, such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Ningbo, Chongqing, Wuhan, and more, from 13 to 26 September.
“The campaign is directed at all food and drink products from Spain, including, of course, seafood,” the Economic and Commercial Office at the Spanish Embassy in China told SeafoodSource. “Planned activities include events and promotions in gourmet food stores, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, and any other venue offering Spanish products. There will also be sales, tastings, cooking shows, exclusive tastings, pairing menus, and special weekend menus, which will feature the products of participating companies.”
To kick off the campaign, Spain’s Instituto Español de Comercio Exterior – also known as Spain Export and Investment (ICEX) – and the Spanish Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food jointly invited Chinese restaurant owners and food distributors to a Spain Food Nation Summit event in Shanghai.
During the summit, ICEX Director of Agrifoods Maria Naranjo presented certificates to 12 Chinese restaurant owners who were the first to be certified to a new “Spanish Restaurant” certification program in China. The scheme recognizes restaurateurs who supply authentically Spanish ingredients.
“The certification sets quality standards and guidelines that consumers seeking high-quality Spanish cuisine can recognize and also provides a model for restaurant operators who want to offer Spanish cuisine in other parts of the world. All restaurants that have obtained the Spanish Restaurant certification agree that the Spanish gastronomic experience is based on authentic roots, ingredients, recipes, and quality,” the campaign said. “This certification is awarded through a rigorous selection process by a joint committee of official institutions and industry associations closely linked to the gastronomic world.”
Naranjo added that her office would support Chinese restaurateur efforts in sourcing Spanish meat, seafood, and dairy products and would assist them in marketing efforts, as well.
Besides promoting authentic Spanish restaurants in China, the campaign also aims to tap into the lucrative Chinese e-commerce market.
Jean Yves Lu, the founder of Shanghai-focused online grocery market Epermarket, spoke on a panel during the summit to advise Spanish exporters on how best to expand their sales in China. Luke Liu, the head of seafood purchasing for leading Chinese online retailer JD.com, added that his firm is ready to bring high-quality Spanish seafood products, including tuna, to Chinese cities.
Though E.U. exports to China have fallen in 2025, Spain was one of a small number of E.U. countries to increase its exports to China in the first half of 2025, increasing its shipments by 11 percent in the period, while overall E.U. exports to China fell by 11 percent in the same period.
