Finding Common Ground: The Need for Cooperation and Collaboration in the Spanish Natural Wine Industry

Abstract

In fall 2018 and late spring 2019, five small natural wine producers in Spain pondered the potential for cooperation and collaboration in their segment of the wine industry. As these niche producers shared their common goals and challenges, they debated how to come to a consensus about pooling resources and working together to educate trade customers as well as the prospective natural wine consumer. Providing an overview of the Spanish wine industry and the natural wine segment, this applied research paper uses comparative case studies to explore the potential of incorporating cooperative relationships that could help these producers grow their businesses, share farming and wine-making techniques, and educate consumers about natural wines. Similar to previous cooperative relationships undertaken in other wine-producing regions, co-opetition might not only perform branding and collaborative marketing and reward entrepreneurial activities in Spain’s natural wine sector, but also carry some downsides in terms of autonomy and control over decision-making.