Catalonia is strengthening the international promotion of its cured meats and charcuterie products in Asia. The Catalan Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Food, Òscar Ordeig, inaugurated a professional tasting session in Beijing, marking the start of the rollout in China of the European campaign The Creative Revolution: European Wines and Charcuterie (CREWAS).
The event brought together importers, distributors, Horeca channel professionals, prescribers and specialized media, to whom a selection of Catalan wines with designation of origin was presented along with a representative sample of Catalan sausages and charcuterie products.
The initiative aims to strengthen the positioning of these products in a market considered strategic and to generate new business opportunities for Catalan companies.
Led by Prodeca and co-financed by the European Union, CREWAS has a budget of nearly 3 million euros and will run from October 2026 to October 2029. In addition to China, the campaign will also have a presence in Japan and Korea .
As Òscar Ordeig explained, the initiative will allow for an intensive campaign aimed especially at importers and distributors, raising awareness of the values of the Mediterranean diet, as well as the origin and production processes of high-quality, value-added gourmet products.
New opportunities for the Catalan meat sector
One of CREWAS’ objectives is to position Catalan sausages and charcuterie products as benchmarks of quality, authenticity, innovation and sustainability, while also facilitating companies’ access to Asian markets with high commercial potential.
The launch of the campaign is part of the institutional trip that the Minister of Agriculture is making to China, which combines the promotion of Catalan agri-food products with institutional meetings and actions aimed at strengthening commercial, scientific and technological cooperation.
The Catalan delegation has maintained contact with the authorities of Hainan province to monitor existing agreements and study new formulas that facilitate access and consolidation of Catalan agri-food products in China.
Among the activities carried out was a visit to the Haikou Integrated Free Zone, one of the main logistics and commercial platforms in the south of the country and a strategic enclave due to its connection with major international maritime routes.
The agenda also includes business and trade meetings aimed at exploring new avenues for the promotion and marketing of Catalan products in the Chinese market.
Meat and sausages lead agri-food trade with China
China is one of the priority markets for the Catalan agri-food sector. According to data released by the Catalan government, Catalan companies currently export agri-food products to China worth over €655 million annually.
A total of 312 Catalan agri-food companies export to China, 123 of which do so regularly. Between 2015 and 2025, Catalan agri-food exports to the Chinese market increased by 153.8%.
The meat sector plays a particularly important role in this trade. Meat and processed meats continue to be the main driver of Catalan agri-food exports to China, with a trade surplus of nearly €485 million.
These data highlight the importance of the Chinese market for the sector and the potential of international promotion initiatives such as CREWAS to strengthen the positioning and competitiveness of Catalan meat and charcuterie products in Asia.
