Fundador, a brandy that is read

FUNDADOR the first Spanish brandy, a book that collects the history of a unique category born 150 years ago in the oldest winery in the Jerez region

Madrid, December 18, 2024

Fundador. The first Spanish brandy is the title of a commemorative book published on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the oldest Spanish brandy brand, born in the wineries of Jerez; which was presented yesterday, in a very emotional event, held at the Elkar restaurant, and was the culmination of this great year lived by the brand in the celebration of its 150th birthday (Fundador, 1874 – 2024).

The presentation of the book was in the hands of Angel Piña, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer of the Emperador group and was conducted by the former bullfighter and businessman, Francisco Rivera who served as master of ceremonies.

Businessmen, friends of Fundador and authorities such as the Councilor for Tourism of Jerez, Antonio Real, who remembered that Fundador is a fundamental pillar of the memory of Jerez; the Ambassador of the Philippines, Philippe J. Lhuillier; and prominent representatives of Madrid and Jerez society supported the launch of a copy that could well have been an encyclopedia. Telling what has happened around a centennial brand is not trivial.

The volume, already on sale in bookstores in Cadiz and in the winery, is the fruit of a dream born from the mind of Ángel Piña, Global Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer of Fundador, and the hard work of research and documentation carried out by Abalon Books publishing house specialized in high gastronomy directed by Jon Sarabia, an atypical businessman whose curriculum is filled with editorial gems.

“The chronicle of Fundador, the first Spanish brandy is full of epic chapters since its birth. Collecting in a book what has happened in a century and a half has been exciting,” Sarabia commented during the presentation of this new member of the exclusive Abalon Books family, where each project is treated with care.

Perfume the palate

The result is an enjoyable and cult volume brimming with images, with texts by Javier Benítez, a native of Jerez and journalist member of the Official College of Journalists of Andalusia, the Spanish Association of Journalists and Wine Writers (AEPEV), as well as the Association of the Press of Jerez, to highlight rich details and images of Abel Valdenebro, an exceptional photographer who has covered all fields of photography and prologue by Ferran Adrià, in which the chef confesses to having used Fundador in some of his recipes: “A drop is enough to perfume the palate“, praises the renowned chef with his heart in the pen.

This is Fundador, the first Spanish brandy: a journey of more than 200 pages through the adventure started by D. Pedro Domecq Loustau in 1874, promoter of this distilled aged in sherry wine barrels that has left a mark not only on palates. Fundador also set trends in advertising and revolutionized marketing by launching iconic campaigns in the 60s, 70s and 80s, which are now part of the Spanish imaginary.

Jingles like the “it’s like never before”, characters like Don Pedrito or the famous surprise records are legends of the Spain of the transition that still live in the memory of several generations, with their own space in the Fundador museum, inaugurated this year in the La Luz winery, where the brandy ages in barrels that have previously contained sherry wine, the famous “Sherry Cask”, the secret of its excellence.

The success and longevity of brandy Fundador has another reason for being, the people, true architects of a project that, 150 years later, survives as a powerful economic engine. Their experiences also beat in the pages of this book full of names, images and feelings. Among them Beltrán Domecq, Director of Quality, Vineyards and Wineries, of Pedro Domecq from 1972 to 2006, who recalls in the book snippets of a life dedicated to brandy. María Eugenia Herrera, Director of Wine Tourism and Public Relations since 1997, who knew the winery where her father already worked as a child. Or Paco Pérez, Public Relations and responsible for International Markets of Bodegas Pedro Domecq from 1953 to 1990.

Present and future

The glorious past of Fundador is important, but also its present and its future. The brand’s ability to adapt to current trends is another key to the immortality of this drink, nurtured with love from Manila, where the heart of Grupo Emperador, the Filipino holding company that has owned the brand and the wineries since 2015.

Piña, the face of Fundador in Spain and half the world, is the one who looks after its future and the architect of the great international expansion, with presence in more than 60 countries. A restless visionary who has managed to launch new consumption proposals adapted to today’s customer and to materialize the alliance between tradition and innovation, preserving the personality of the origin. An example of this transition to modernity is the new campaign launched under the claim “The usual?”, created with artificial intelligence, a strategic action that also has its special chapter in this book.

Limited edition 150th anniversary

As a closing, the attendees toasted to an unrepeatable year with a glass of the exclusive limited edition of brandy Fundador made for this 150th anniversary. A jewel that contains a part of the liquid legacy, from the foundational cask that is preserved in the Jerez wineries and of which only 250 numbered and certified units have been bottled.

Tasting it is a unique sensory experience. “It is the excellence of time bottled, a sublime reinterpretation of Fundador that is born to remind the world of the love, the passion that beats in the winery. An innovative product that confirms that brandy has a promising future”, Piña explained to those present, raising the glass.

The book presentation ended with a cocktail. Delicious gastronomy, good atmosphere and the best company paired with Harveys wines and with the new Fundador brandy cocktails: Índigo, made with Fundador Doble Madera, Ginger Beer and lime. And Palomo, with Fundador Supremo 12 and grapefruit soda.