In the Housing Liquors of Pelayo de la Mata, an imposing farm in the moral that bought a German in the nineties, there are much more family memories. Don Pelayo – they tell us that we must refer to him throughout the interview – he has managed to link a business success project with what the Spaniards have drunk during the last 80 years. “My father had an incredible eye with the Brandi 103 of the Bobadilla House,” says Don Pelayo, referring to the product that marked the beginning of everything. During the postwar period, this Brandi swept Spain, becoming the best -selling spirit, with a consumption of up to 12 million boxes a year. «It was what people took to kill the bug before working. Now it would look like little civilized, but then it was part of the culture of consumption.» Hilario de la Mata, father of Don Pelayo, founded in 1942 a small distribution business that, over the years, would become varmous (acronym of Vargas and Mata). «We differentiate ourselves with an image and a message that reached the final customer,» he explains with pride. The company also had products such as the wines of Franco-Spanish wineries, of which the family was a shareholder, and established links with groundbreaking brands such as Cava Castellblanc, the White White Label whiskey and the Coñac Rémy Martin.The gin and the rum, in addition to whiskey, the cognac or the most suggestive liquors, have been part of the selection that have been distributed since 1942.Francis tsangen the sixties, these marks helped vary to position their drinks in Spanish bars and coffee shops. «The big change came with the long drink,» recalls Don Pelayo. «The Brandi de Jerez, who had been the king, lost ground because the producers did not adapt. Meanwhile, the Scottish whiskey entered the market strongly.» People went from taking sucks to prefer whiskey with water or soda, which became the fashionable drink. The distribution of alcoholic beverages in the Spain of the Tardofranchism was an emerging business dominated by a few families. Among them, the Ferrer, distributors of Johnnie Walker, Moët & Chandon and Hennessy; Gibraltareña Saccone & Speed, and Francisco Quintana Ylzarbe, of the Hispanic company in Madrid. However, few had their presence and business vision, which also stood out in the world of gin and rum. «Beefeater became the best selling gin in Spain. We had enormous success with its distribution, leading the premium segment,» he explains. Years later, Varma would be done with Hendrick's, an almost unknown brand that triumphed during the Gin-Tonic Bum.
The Marquesado de Vargas has its roots until 1700, when Carlos II created the noble title. Subsequently, different relatives of the family of Pelayo de la Mata have held him. Francis Tsangotro Mile was the commitment to Ron Barceló. «When we lost Bacardi, we stayed with Ron Barceló, which at that time only knew in the Dominican Republic. We took it with just 15,000 boxes and took him to sell more than one million,» he recalls. Campaigns as they live now were decisive for their success. In addition, Cutty Sark, the crown jewel of the time, allowed them to innovate: «We created a regatta ship with their name. Thus we raffle the prohibitions of advertising on television, because the sailboat came out in the news when he won.» «My family was always linked to the world of Rioja, and it was my father who kept alive the dream of having a wine with our name,» he says about Marqués de Vargas, the winery that pays tribute to his noble shield. His great -grandfather had already planted vineyards in Hacienda Pradolagar in 1840, and the idea was always to produce quality wines with his own vineyard: «We worked with varieties such as Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo.» One way, as he likes to say, to stay anchored in tradition but with a «renewed and modern approach.»
