- With the support of the European Union and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Jamones Ibéricos, Ambassador World Project, launched by the Iberian Pork Industry Federation (ASICI), is entering its third year with the aim of bringing Iberian ham, known as Europe's top ingredient, and its culture to more consumers.
- A new round of roving activities in China was first launched in Shanghai and is expected to set off a "sensory storm of Iberian ham" in the three major city clusters of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao in the coming months.
- Ramiro Sánchez, Commercial Commissioner of the Spanish Agency for the Development and Investment of Foreign Trade (ICEX), a number of diplomats, Raúl Garcia, President of the Iberian Pork Industry Consortium and representatives of its members, as well as industry partners, chefs and food lovers attended the launch of the tour of China.
Shanghai/Madrid. On August 29, the Jamones Ibéricos, Ambassador World Project held a grand media event in the center of Shanghai and officially launched a new round of promotional tours in China. With the strong support of the European Union and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, this training, education and awareness campaign on Iberian ham carried out by the Iberian Pork Industry Federation (ASICI) is in its third year.
As the most important and ambitious international promotion event in the history of the Iberian industry, the "Iberian Ham, European World Ambassador Program" aims to strengthen the internationalization capabilities of the relevant enterprises in the industry, enhance and consolidate the positioning and visibility of Iberian ham as a unique gastronomic product in the international market, and at the same time spread Iberian ham, a top European ingredient and its culture, to important markets such as France, Germany, Mexico and China in addition to Spain.
Ramiro Sánchez, Commercial Commissioner of the Spanish Agency for the Development and Investment of Foreign Trade (ICEX), Raúl Garcia, President of the Iberian Pork Industry Federation, and Irven Ni, member representative and Chinese Chef Ambassador, attended the launching ceremony of the "Iberian Ham, European World Ambassador Program" China Tour held in Shanghai on the same day, sharing with the guests the importance of this promotion project for the future development of the Iberian ham industry. and what has been achieved in the past two years.
"Over the past two years, our campaign has achieved remarkable results around the world, successfully awakening the 'Iberian senses' of hundreds of millions of consumers. Especially in the Chinese market, the export value of Iberian ham has increased year after year, increasing by 53.62% in the last year, totalling more than 27.15 million euros," enthuses Raúl Garcia, President of the Iberian Pork Industry Federation. "Iberian ham, as a unique product, is deeply rooted in Mediterranean and European culture. Years of tradition guarantee the quality of this delicacy, and the further combination with new technologies enhances craftsmanship while presenting products of the highest quality. We are about to start the last year of this project, and we hope that through more exciting promotion activities, more and more friends can feel the unique charm of Iberian ham! ”
Deeply cultivating the Chinese market, Iberian ham continues to promote the development of domestic gastronomic culture
Ramiro Sánchez, Commercial Commissioner of the Spanish Agency for the Development and Investment of Foreign Trade (ICEX), pointed out that Iberian ham originated in Spain, as a gastronomic symbol, its production process has been passed down and developed, and now it has crossed the geographical boundaries of gastronomy, becoming a symbol of Spanish and Mediterranean gastronomic culture, and a representative of Europe's top ingredients. "Iberian ham is the ambassador of European cuisine worldwide, setting a new benchmark for other traditional cuisines to go global. We see that Mediterranean cuisine, mainly Iberian ham, is becoming more and more popular in China, and even integrated into regional cuisine, building a gastronomic bridge for cultural exchanges between China and the West. We are very optimistic about the long-term development of Iberian ham in China, which is as enduring as the friendship between China and Spain. ”
Following the positive response of the "Iberian Sensory Tour" from north to south in China, the new round of "Iberian Ham, European World Ambassador Program" in China will focus on the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, setting off a "sensory storm of Iberian ham" in these three important urban agglomerations, so as to reach and attract more consumer groups and food lovers.
This round of tour promotion will combine the characteristics of different cities and food culture to launch a series of unique offline activities, including a theme salon specially designed for chefs and industry partners, a private tasting luncheon for media friends, and continue to provide immersive ham cutting masterclasses full of dry goods for the majority of food and Iberian ham lovers, aiming to make them also become "ambassadors" of Iberian ham, sharing the consumption, experience and enjoyment of ham with more people who love food, so as to awaken their "." Iberian senses".
Europe's top ingredients trigger a "sensory storm" on the tip of the tongue
What makes Iberian ham special is that it has a long culture, traditions and unique production techniques that are perfectly combined with innovative techniques that have been passed down through generations, across borders and enduring. Its quality is reflected in its intense red hue, as well as its unrivalled flavor, texture and aroma.
The process of making ham is like the elaborate carving of a handicraft, and its cutting and tasting are also quite artistic. At the launch of the tour of China, professional ham cutters from Spain, Zulima Esteban, demonstrated their mastery of ham cutting, which is now an increasingly popular ceremony. Meanwhile, Dr. Rosa Garcia gave a detailed introduction to the sensory tasting of Iberian ham and the nuances of flavor and aroma in different parts of it. Not only that, Chinese Chef Ambassador Ni Junhua also brought an exciting cooking show, using Bielian ham as the main ingredient, staging a passionate collision of Chinese and Western ingredients.
"It can be said that Iberian ham is an irreplaceable presence in gastronomy, and it is a pleasure to present to the world the best gastronomy and culture of Europe and Spain," says Jesús Pérez Aguilar, Director of Publicity at the Iberian Pork Industry Unit. "Being recognized by the Chinese market makes us more convinced that Iberian ham has broad prospects in China and gives us the motivation to continue to move forward. The industry alliance has brought unprecedented and profound impact to Iberian ham, and we look forward to more and more partners, celebrity chefs and food lovers joining us in the future to bring Iberian ham to millions of households and into the menus of more elite Chinese restaurants." ”
About ASICI
The Iberian Pork Industry Federation (ASICI) is a non-profit agri-food industry organization of which more than 95% of Iberian pig production organizations (farmers) and more than 95% of Iberian pork processing organizations (factories) are members. The association was founded in 1992 and was certified in 1999 by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food as the "Agri-Food Organization of the Iberian Pork Industry".