Ramón González was one of many anonymous heroes who one fine day had to say goodbye to their place of origin, Prado de Miño (Ourense). He had to seek a better fortune, although his great luck would be none other than to be able to return and have what he had never had: a handful of lands to which he could dedicate his time and love and where, definitely, to stay. Something simple: “the farm”, “the garden”.
He got married, had children and with the money he was earning in Venezuela -his ‘second’ homeland- was acquiring land in ‘the first’, the same ones that saw him leave, but whose memory was still deeply connected to him, like an anchor. What was once a dream is today a prosperous winery, winner of the Best Wine of 2022 in Spain award, awarded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. A project that his children have completed, and that from the beginning has had the support of Banco Santander, as part of its commitment to the agri-food sector.
Moncho, Etelvino and Javier González Sabucedo form a perfectly balanced trident assembled by a deep respect for the land that has seen them grow and which, bequeathed by their father, they deeply love. His is a business that unites past and future, tradition and modernity, on the banks of the winding and magical Miño. The story of a family, a journey, a return and the search for a project bigger than themselves.
“The land is a very important part for us,” says Ramón Jr., ‘Moncho’. “My father had the dream of the farms, the vineyards, the winery. We had the dream of a great wine”, he describes. He talks about the year 2000, when he and his brothers collected that witness, those lands bought with so much effort and enthusiasm, and decided to shape it. A very specific one. “Transform those farms into vineyards”, he qualifies.
That mature project of a dream of life needed something more than land: resources to make excellent wine out of his great luck, his land. “We are from here and we have been lucky to belong to this land and be able to make a Ribeiro”, shares Javier. It is at this point where Banco Santander comes in, which did not hesitate to bet on the transformation project that the brothers presented with one objective: “to produce the best possible white wines”.
The same as Pablo Estévez, the oenologist whom the three González brothers contacted to make Ramón do Casar a reference winery in the Spanish wine market, and who is convinced that “to make a great wine, you must first make a great viticulture and arrive at the winery with a great grape”. “Pablo is a true wine magician”, Javier adds. And they believe in magic. Today they are preparing their international expansion, which will try to reach, of course, the Venezuela that welcomed his father.
Ramón do Casar is one of the more than 425,000 clients in the agricultural sector whom Banco Santander supports in their day-to-day activities. Companies committed to the land they farm and that, hand in hand with the entity, have been able to make that qualitative leap that separates dreams from dreams. The words of the facts. The past of the future. “We have a project of growth and international expansion,” Javier emphasizes.
“Initially we had the help of Banco Santander and for the expansion of the warehouse we hope to also have our bank,” they add. The winery is today a prosperous business, for them and those who accompany them on this adventure, started by their father from the moment he was forced to leave and that today, thanks to the determination of his offspring, has “a clear future project.
Precisely, to ensure the future in the land that saw them grow, sustainability is very present in the day to day of Ramón do Casar, with circular economy processes that revert to the territory. “We have little waste. On the one hand, there are the stems, which we treat to introduce into the vineyards as fertilizer, and on the other, the pips and skin of the grape, which we sell to a distillery to make Galician pomace”, Javier clarifies.
The tireless work of this family has been supported from the beginning by Banco Santander, which has provided more than 4,200 million euros of financing in 2022 to Spanish farmers and winners, a figure that represents an increase of 11% compared to the previous year and which it illustrates the commitment that the entity acquires with agricultural financing solutions adapted to the needs of the sector.
An example is Harvest Advances, the I D I Agro Loan or long-term loans for the transformation of farms to more profitable crops, with a focus on digitization and sustainability. Also the start-up of the Drought Loan whose purpose is to alleviate the complex situation of drought that the Spanish countryside is experiencing -and other adversities- so that prosperous businesses such as that of the González brothers do not stop making their way.
