6 must-stock Spanish products for your fine food business

Spanish cuisine is a treasure trove of delicious artisan produce, and by stocking even just a few of its delicacies, you’ll be able to harness the culinary power of Spain. We’ve compiled six must-stock Spanish products you need to start selling in your fine food business now.

Charcuterie
Charcuterie is a quintessential part of Spanish culture and stocking a luxurious range of the country’s best produce will ensure you’re on-trend.

One must-have charcuterie addition is Iberian ham, a gourmet product carefully produced in the southwest region of Spain, from a specific breed of black Iberian pigs in the Dehesa region. The Dehesa’s unique ecosystem is essential to the production of Iberian ham, as this is the only place where pigs can feed on the organic acorns found in the area that give Iberian ham its distinctive and flavoursome taste. The lengthy curation process is carefully watched over to ensure that the final product gives consumers the delicious and unique flavour that characterizes Spain’s gastronomical crown jewel.

For something a little hotter, treat your customers to N’duja - a spicy, spreadable pork salami perfect for serving with bruschetta or melted onto pizza. It is typically made with shoulder and belly meat, as well as tripe, roasted peppers and a mixture of spices.

No charcuterie board would be complete without chorizo. The famous cured sausage comes in an array of variations but is traditionally seasoned with garlic, salt and pimentón (smoked paprika). The UK is the main destination for chorizo approved by the Spanish Chorizo Consortium, and in the first quarter of 2021, imports increased by 28% compared with the previous year. Be sure to stock ready-to-eat chorizo as well as cooking chorizo to cover all culinary bases.

Sherry wines
A favourite of chefs and foodies, sherry is a truly unique offering for speciality and deli retailers - it’s a versatile product exclusively produced in the wine-growing region of Jerez, in the South of Spain. Carmen Aumesquet, marketing director at DO Sherry Wines explains: “Cream sherry is made by blending Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez and is full-bodied and velvety in the mouth with well-balanced sweetness, making it an elegant choice for retailers looking to delight their customers.

“It can be sipped on its own, as part of a cocktail or paired with fish, meats, cheeses, salads, soups or snacks.” Carmen recommends that consumers swap their usual bottle of white wine with a glass of Cream sherry to enhance their dessert course, served with ice and an orange slice.

Olive oil
As the country has seemingly endless olive groves, it is no surprise that Spain ranks as the world’s largest producer of extra virgin olive oil. It is also home to exceptional artisanal producers creating the highest quality and early-harvest oils, which will ensure your offerings are world-class.

Extra virgin olive oil is a staple of the Mediterranean diet and considered by many to be the most important ingredient in any Spanish kitchen, so no Spanish produce display would be complete without it. Try stocking a selection of different olive varieties such as Picual - the most commonly grown olive in Spain with high levels of antioxidants, or Arbequina - a light, fruity oil with apple and almond notes.

Cheese
Spain is home to over 100 different varieties of cheese, and each region boasts its own speciality, ranging from fresh to cured and everything in between.
Manchego is arguably the most popular Spanish cheese, made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep from the Manchega breed. With an ageing process lasting between 60 days and two years, there’s a wide variety of options to choose from to suit your customers’ palates.

Other luxurious varieties of Spanish cheese include Pasiego, a soft cow’s milk cheese that is buttery and acidic with milky and yeasty flavours, and Moluengo, a lactic goat’s cheese log that is creamy under the rind and denser in the core, with lactic and hazelnut flavours.

Stocking these uniquely Spanish cheeses will elevate your dairy offerings and embrace your customers with the taste of the Mediterranean.

Confectionery
Spain might not be best known for its confectionery, but that doesn’t mean that there’s not a raft of sweet Spanish indulgences to enjoy.

One of the most iconic Spanish treats is turron, absolutely essential for any Christmas or Easter meal but available all year round. Made from honey, egg, sugar and toasted nuts, these sweets are absolutely irresistible. Why not spice up your usual offerings and introduce your customers to the versatility of turron with decadent gift boxes featuring different flavours including chocolate, caramel, and vanilla?

Other delicious Spanish desserts to champion in 2022 include Mantecados - rich, crumbly anise-scented drop cookies, and flan – a velvety egg custard topped with luscious caramel sauce.

Spices
Spain is home to two of the most vibrant spices in the world: saffron and paprika. Saffron may be the most expensive spice in the world, but it is absolutely essential for an authentic, rich and flavoursome paella. Stocking it will enable your customers to explore the true taste of Spain from their own kitchen.

The silky red powder of smoked paprika, or pimentón, is the signature spice of Spanish cuisine and is favoured by home chefs to add colour, flavour and smokiness to dishes. It has grown in popularity over the past few years, and while it is available almost everywhere, stocking the highest quality paprika will give your business the edge.