In the previous blog, I mentioned that things have been up and down, like a rollercoaster ride. That we’re starting at full tilt with our project of converting a warehouse into a state-of-the-art winery. Despite the tight time frame, the plan was to have a fully functional winery ready for the next harvest in September/October 2022. We were so happy that the project was at last under way after all these years of planning that we also decided to renovate a small stone building on our land and make it a boutique winery for natural wines.
But in Spain, things seldom go as you’d hoped and planned. It is often a struggle against time, red tape and authorities. I have managed companies in many European countries and worked with exports my entire life. In my experience and opinion, Spain is the country where it is, or has been, most difficult to run a business. I admire everyone in Spain who runs a business.
That said, it has been confirmed since our “new start” in November 2021 that we are not eligible to apply for EU funding, as is customary in this industry, for our project. Obviously, this has a serious impact on the project. It would have been such fun to have a boutique winery for natural wines, but we are having to shelve those plans. Other cost adjustments are also necessary to keep the project within budget constraints.
All the wine production equipment has been ordered. The final cost is higher than estimated and we have been told to expect some delays. The situation is not improved by the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic with sharp price increases and a weaker Swedish krona. The pandemic has also made it extremely difficult to find any building company that has the time or inclination to take on the project. At the time of writing, we still haven’t managed to engage any builders.
What I’ve written here in this blog might sound pessimistic. I’ve been debating for some time whether to publish it or not. But we want to be transparent and tell you honestly that the wine business is not always as romantic as it might seem. Hoping you’ll forgive me for being a bit despondent. Nevertheless, we are battling on and it remains to be seen if we will have a fully functional winery in place for our harvest in September/October 2022.
To be continued…