Vallformosa closed the 2023 fiscal year with a turnover exceeding 35 million euros, 7% more than the previous year and the highest in its history. This was explained by the company's CEO, Marta Vidal, who also highlighted that the company achieved a record EBITDA of 3.6 million, 8% higher than in 2022. This is the winery's fourth consecutive year of growth, which has also managed to be the first in the State to be B Corp, the certification that rewards social and environmental commitments. Regarding the 2024 fiscal year, Vidal emphasized that the goal is to reach 4 million in EBITDA and increase market share in the countries where they have a greater presence, which are Belgium, the Netherlands, Japan, and Cuba.
Vidal celebrated the winery's growth in both operating profit and turnover and assured that it "gains greater importance" given the adverse conditions that have marked the sector, especially the raw materials crisis, inflation, the energy crisis, and the increase in interest rates, reports ACN.
Thus, the CEO of the winery assured that external climatic conditions and drought have had serious consequences for the sector, although in their case it has become "a less important problem." "We have a business model that is not based on our own estate, but rather we work hand in hand with 400 vineyards and winegrowers who have allowed the problem to be less significant due to the disparity in territory and varieties," Vidal argued.
In this regard, Vallformosa's CEO added that this year's harvest forecast is better than that of 2023, as this year's rainfall until June exceeds that of the previous year. This will allow them, as they foresee, to increase production by between 20% and 25%, although Vidal pointed out that the winery is already taking technical measures to propose long-term solutions.
Regarding bottles sold, Vallformosa closed 2023 with a figure of 12 million bottles. According to Vidal, this is a number that "remains very linear," although she added that their goal "is not to grow in bottles, but in margin." "We want to have higher quality, higher value bottles," she concluded. Of those sold, 88% were marketed internationally, while 12% remained in the State. Most were cava (80%) and the rest wine (20%).
First winery in the State with the B Corp seal
On the other hand, Vidal celebrated that the Penedès company has become the first winery in Spain with the B Corp distinction. "It puts a seal on our triple impact management, because it affects the economic part, but also the environmental and social, which is essential to understand the company's model and strategy." The director also insisted that Vallformosa recycles 94% of the waste they generate and that their will is not to stop there, but to exceed this figure year after year.Consolidation in the international market
Regarding the international market, Vidal explained that the winery has reaffirmed its international strategy during 2023 with exports representing 88% of the total turnover, beingBelgium, Netherlands, Japan, United Kingdom, USA and Denmark the main international markets.She also clarified that Vallformosa has opened up to other territories such as Cuba, which is "a unique and complicated market," but which has started to give them positive figures in terms of turnover. In this sense, Vidal said that the company is focused on continuing to grow into new countries, such as Mexico.Another of the challenges, as she highlighted, is to face the lack of generational replacement in the sector. Vidal quantified that only 15% of the company's winegrowers are under 40 years old and assured that they are already working to solve this fact and give continuity to the work of the vineyards. "We want the territory to prosper and many generations to work," she concluded.