Mehul Chhabra
Angelika Treuheit
Ilaria Schenetti
Prerna Shetty
Friedrich Alexander Universitat
Francisco Layrisse
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Familia Torres is a renowned Spanish wine brand committed to producing and distributing premium quality wines while preserving the natural and cultural heritage of the regions where its vineyards are located. Familia Torres’ business solution lies in the combination of traditional and innovative practices to mitigate and adapt to climate change through organic and regenerative farming techniques, renewable energies, and responsible water management, with the aim of becoming climate neutral by 2040.
Familia Torres also seeks to actively engage local farmers and communities to spread awareness for sustainable and regenerative viticulture while promoting economic development and social welfare. In this way, they contribute to several UN Global Goals, among which SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land).
Familia Torres is determined to use its vineyards as carbon sinks to mitigate the effects of climate change. Conscious of the fact that conventional farming techniques are responsible for soil erosion, loss of biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions, Familia Torres is rethinking its wine in a way that contributes to tackling the climate crisis by converting its organic vineyards into regenerative. In this way, the company promotes an agricultural model with a positive impact on the environment and seeks to revitalize its vines (Miguel Torres S.A., 2023a).
“We’re aware that this is a long learning process where we’ll also have to ‘unlearn’ to find a new balance” (Miguel Torres S.A., 2021b).
The main objective of Familia Torres is to restore the carbon cycle and imitate natural forests through holistic management of the soil and by turning their vineyards into healthier ecosystems. To do so, in 2021, the company started planting permanent cover crops, which absorb atmospheric carbon and increase the soil’s organic matter, nurturing it and restoring its fertility, and it gradually integrated livestock animals to fertilize and structure the ground while reducing the use of farming machinery. The more life in the soil, the greater it's capacity to capture CO2, increasing productivity and resilience to erosion and drought, hence making the vines a stronger asset in the fight against climate change (Miguel Torres., 2023b). Given that regeneration is a way of farming in harmony with nature, biodiversity within and outside the vineyards is also promoted to create a balanced ecosystem.
Furthermore, Familia Torres is committed to spreading awareness about the benefits of regenerative viticulture so as to collectively transform the management of vineyards globally. Therefore, it encourages local farmers to adopt this model and cooperates with other wineries, mainly through the Regenerative Viticulture Association, to share expertise and help each other (Asociación Viticultura Regenerativa, 2023).
“Our vision is to celebrate life, care for the earth and transmit our legacy" (Vea Barbany, 2023).
Familia Torres has always worked the land with the utmost respect, but especially since 2008, when it became more aware of the effects of climate change, the company has launched several measures to mitigate its effects on the vineyards. Despite these efforts, in 2020, Miguel Torres, General Manager of the company, noticed increasing signs of soil erosion and acknowledged that none of their practices took into consideration the cycle of carbon (Torres Maczassek, 2022). As farmers, they suffered from the environmental crisis but were also conscious of their responsibility, so they figured out a way in which the “vineyards could actually help in [the] fight against climate change” (Vea Barbany, 2023).
In fact, “regenerative viticulture not only captures the CO2 from the atmosphere […], but it is such a positive thing because it actually means that you are regenerating the soil, you are bringing life back into the soil, you are making the soil much healthier and much more balanced” (Vea Barbany, 2023). “We have a treasure called the earth. Protecting the fertility of our soils means protecting the earth for future generations” (Torres Maczassek, 2022).
Miguel also acknowledged that “regeneration is about more than changing soils; it's about changing the way people think” (Torres Maczassek, 2021). Therefore, he created ‘Terra Viva,’ a team with various experts from the company dedicated to learning about regenerative practices and sharing knowledge and ideas. As Miguel Torres puts it, "there are 7,400,000 hectares of vineyards in the world, and I would like all of us to take a moment and imagine what would happen if all of them practiced regenerative viticulture, and a large amount of carbon was returned to the soils” (Torres Maczassek, 2022).
“Wine requires a lot of time: you need to think in a really long term” (Vea Barbany, 2023). The effects of changes in viticulture (as the transition towards regenerative vineyards) only become apparent in the long term. However, Familia Torres’ various actions have already achieved a positive impact.
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Familia Torres actively shapes the development of the vineyard of the future, for instance by conducting nine R&D projects in 2021 with expenses of 884,751 €. These projects aim at improving the quality of the vineyards and at progressing in sustainable and regenerative practices (e.g. the “Interreg Sudeo Copperplace Project” that conducts research on copper reduction, cover crops for an enhanced soil quality, and carbon sequestration) (Miguel Torres S.A., 2021a).
Responsible Consumption and Production & Life on Land
61% of the vineyards are organic certified and, currently, Familia Torres applies regenerative viticulture in a total of 500ha (out of 1100ha) in Catalonia (Roig Lafon, 2023). Here, the use of cover crops and animal grazing improves the soil quality by fertilizing and nurturing it, while the increased organic matter captures more atmospheric carbon, helps retain rainwater, and safeguards the soil against erosion (Miguel Torres S.A., 2021a & Vea Barbany, 2023).
Climate Action & Affordable and Clean Energy
From 2008 to 2021, Familia Torres reduced its emissions per bottle of wine by 35%. In 2021, 99% of the electricity was green energy, 63% came from renewable resources (Miguel Torres S.A., 2021a) and 39% of the consumed energy in the Penedès cellar originated from their own renewable energy (Miguel Torres S.a., 2023a). Furthermore, Familia Torres conducts research on sequestering CO2 during wine fermentation and reuses it as an inert gas, which enables them to capture approximately 20 tons of CO2 per year (Miguel Torres S.A., 2021a).
Partnership for the Goals
Familia Torres also uses its impact and leverage to spread a sustainable and regenerative agricultural model. For example, it engages in the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), a working group aimed at decarbonizing the wine industry and achieving net zero by 2050. And, in 2021, it co-founded the Regenerative Viticulture Association with the goal of working closely with other winegrowers to share knowledge and encourage other wineries to engage in regenerative practices (Miguel Torres S.A., 2021a).
Familia Torres offers a wide range of well-renowned wines and spirits. It has over 1,000 employees globally, most of whom are located in Spain. In 2021, it generated approximately 268 million € of revenue (Miguel Torres, S.A., 2021a).
Present in over 150 countries, some of Familia Torres’ famous wines include Mas La Plana (2013), Forcada (2016), and Perpetual (2015). In addition, Familia Torres considers recent trends among consumers’ preferences by offering not only twenty-six brands with organic wines but also thirty-two brands with vegan wines, promoting a viticultural model that respects the environment (Miguel Torres S.A., 2021a).
Its value chain focuses primarily on five steps: supply of raw materials from local suppliers, production of wine, distribution of wine, marketing and sales, and post-consumer phase. Familia Torres operates on two channels: the on-trade channel, consisting of its restaurants and wine shops, for which the company produces artisanal, small production, and historic wines; and the off-trade channel with wines targeted at supermarkets. Here the wine is produced on a large scale and the focus is on ensuring a good price-quality ratio.
What sets Familia Torres apart is its constant commitment to innovate its approach to winemaking, bringing together age-old expertise and modern technology to produce high-quality wines (Miguel Torres S.A., 2022). In this respect, the company restores ancestral varieties of vines, which are more resilient and better equipped for the changing climate conditions, and invests over 10% of its benefits into researching new techniques to adapt to and tackle climate change (Vea Barbany, 2023). Through the integration of sustainable practices, Familia Torres’ revenue streams have grown substantially over the years, allowing the company to increase its market share and positioning it as a key brand in the global wine industry. Concerning regenerative practices, although transforming the vineyards initially implies higher costs, the company is confident that “once you have gone through this transition period, […] it’s much more profitable” (Vea Barbany, 2023).
Environmental benefits
Mitigating climate change, enhancing biodiversity and protecting the environment are fundamental pillars of Familia Torres’ business model. Since 2008, the company has constantly worked to reduce its carbon footprint on all fronts, by generating its own renewable energy, improving energy efficiency and water usage, using organic viticulture, and researching innovative techniques of CO2 absorption (Miguel Torres S.A., 2021a).
The core innovation, though, is regenerative viticulture, which has the greatest benefits for the environment: the use of permanent groundcovers and animal grazing revitalizes the soil, improving its quality, increasing its capacity to absorb CO2, and reducing desertification. As such, regenerative practices contribute to mitigating climate change by transforming the vines into carbon sinks and enhancing their resilience. In combination with the elimination of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides, and the installation of ecological corridors, this model also protects and fosters biodiversity (Miguel Torres S.A., 2021a).
Social benefits
Familia Torres is also strongly engaged in creating a positive social impact by fostering local communities’ development and implementing social initiatives. More precisely, since 2010, Familia Torres has invested 1.06 M € in Fair Trade Projects to promote responsible sourcing and fair-trade practices, and donated 187.296,18 € to the Familia Torres Foundation, designed to support children and groups in need, provide humanitarian aid and prevention for natural disasters, empower women and families, and foster culture and art collaborations (Foundation Familia Torres, 2023).
Also, Familia Torres prioritizes the well-being of its employees, through fair wages and safe working conditions, and honors place and community by cooperating mainly with local winegrowers. This commitment contributes to a more inclusive economy in the region by supporting local communities economically and strengthening cultural ties while “reviving the wine-making heritage of Catalonia”, mainly through the recovery of ancestral grape varieties (Miguel Torres S.A., 2021a).
References
Asociación Viticultura Regenerativa, 2023. Living Soils to Combat Climate Change. https://www.viticulturaregenerativa.org/en#asociacion
Foundation Familia Torres. 2023. Annual Report. https://fundacionfamiliatorres.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ENG_FT-Foundation.pdf
Miguel Torres S.A., 2021a. Sustainability Report 2021. https://www.torres.es/sites/default/files/inline-files/SUSTAINABILITY%20REPORT%202021.pdf
Miguel Torres S.A., 2021b. Familia Torres Commits Regenerative Grape Growing Fight Against Climate Change. https://www.torres.es/en/news/familia-torres-commits-regenerative-grape-growing-fight-against-climate-change
Miguel Torres S.A., 2023a. Beyond Sustainability. https://www.torres.es/en/beyond-sustainability
Miguel Torres S.A., 2023b. Regenerative Agriculture: Working the Land in Alliance with Nature. https://www.torres.es/en/blog/wine-planet/regenerative-agriculture-working-land-alliance-nature
Roig Lafon, Martí. 7 July 2023. Email Exchange with a Technical Oenologist at Familia Torres. [email protected]
Torres Maczassek, Miguel, 2021. Simposio de Viticultura Regenerativa. Asociación de Viticultura Regenerativa. https://www.viticulturaregenerativa.org/en/blog/miguel-torres-rprotecting-the-fertility-of-our-soils-means-protecting-the-earth-for-future-generationsr
Torres Maczassek, Miguel, 2022. Webinar sobre Viticultura Regenerativa y presentación de la Asociación. Asociación Viticultura Regenerativa. https://www.youtube.com/@viticulturaregenerativa1768
Vea Barbany, Isabel. 27 July 2023. Interview with the Global Communications Director at Familia Torres.
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Familia Torres is a 150 year-old family winery that has been passing on a tradition of deep respect for the land and commitment to quality under the motto “the more we care for the earth, the better our wines.”
Since 2008, the company has revolutionized its industry and management processes by implementing sustainable practices, working closely with farmers to produce premium grapes, and prioritizing organic viticulture to fight climate change. To create climate-positive vineyards, Familia Torres is now investing in regenerative viticulture techniques to revitalize the soil, recover biodiversity and contribute to the long-term health and resilience of the ecosystems in which it operates.
