The counselor of Rural Development, María Jesús Susinos, has claimed the importance and effectiveness of rural development programs as a lever to start and consolidate business initiatives in the field. An example of this is the company Picos de Cabariezo, winery and distillery located in Liébana, considered a benchmark in the recovery of the winemaking tradition of the mountains in this region.
The consolidation of this business project has been possible thanks to the support of different public lines, among them the PRODERCAN and LEADER Cantabria programs.
In total, the company has received 176,991 euros in aid aimed at different actions related to the start-up of the winery, the modernization of its productive infrastructures, and the promotion of winemaking activity in the Liébana region.
This was pointed out by Susinos in a press release after her visit to the facilities of Picos de Cabariezo, a company currently made up of four partners and which has a workforce of five employees.
Each year, the winery produces between 35,000 and 38,000 bottles of wine, in addition to different spirits obtained in traditional alquitara, among them the pomace brandy, which has accumulated five gold alquitara, along with other recognitions.
During the tour, Susinos visited the winery and the distillery accompanied by the general director of Fishing and Food, Paulino San Emeterio; the manager of the GAL of Liébana, Irene Díaz, and Javier Blanco, founding partner of the company, who detailed the evolution of a project started more than two decades ago with the aim of recovering an agricultural legacy and promoting high-quality products linked to the territory.
The counselor has highlighted that Picos de Cabariezo is "a magnificent example of how tradition, attachment to the territory, and innovation can go hand in hand to generate economic activity and employment in the rural environment."
In her view, companies like this contribute "to keeping the winemaking heritage of Liébana alive and project the name of Cantabria through products recognized for their quality inside and outside our borders."
Likewise, the head of Rural Development has emphasized that the trajectory of this company demonstrates how "the passion for a land can transform into a successful business project capable of preserving agricultural heritage, generating wealth, attracting tourism, and creating new opportunities for rural areas."