Ramón do Casar, a vineyard in Ourense, Spain, is notching up success after success, thanks to a great sense of tradition, rooted in a migrant's dream and the work of his three sons. From the beginning, it has had the support of Banco Santander, a bank that stands with the farming and livestock industry.

At Ramón do Casar vineyard, it all began with a one-way ticket to Venezuela: Ramón González left his native Galicia (in northwest Spain) in the hope of someday founding his own winery. Years later, his sons’ Ribeiro wine would be named Spain’s “2022 Wine of the Year”. 

Like so many Spanish migrants in the mid-20th century, Ramón González went to Venezuela in search of a better life. With the money he earned, Ramón managed to buy several vineyards in his homeland, some of which he had even worked on as a boy.

In the years to come, his sons — Moncho, Etelvino and Javier González Sabucedo — would see to making his dream a reality. They consolidated their father’s vineyards with some other plots they had acquired, amassing 25 hectares (61 acres) to produce their region’s pride and joy: Ribeiro wine. And they did it all by the hand of Banco Santander. The bank had immediately seen potential in the brothers’ business idea, one of the more than 425,000 agricultural ventures it is supporting today.

Ramón do Casar’s years of hard work would finally pay off to make it one of the most renowned vineyards producing Ribeiro wine, Spain’s second oldest protected designation of origin. Today its business is flourishing. In 2022, it won the Spanish Food Award for “Wine of the Year”, given out by Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fishing and Food Supply. Because of its eco-friendly winemaking process, rooted in the circular economy, the 2020 vintage of Ramón do Casar Nobre has been named one of the the best wines in Spain. 

Supporting farmers

Banco Santander has stood by farmers for years. In 2022 alone, the bank provided financing worth over 4.2 billion euros — up 11% from 2021 — to some 425,000 customers engaging in agriculture and livestock in Spain.

Banco Santander offers all sorts of products and services for farmers, including cash advances on harvests, R&D finance, long-term loans to boost profitability through digitalization and sustainability, and the new Sequía loan to help farmers overcome the harsh drought affecting Spain.

Ramón’s sons now have a plan to grow the winery and expand it to other countries, like Venezuela, the land that once embraced their father. And they can certainly count on Santander’s support to reach new heights in the future.