Rubèn Parera (El Papiol, 1979) embodies the spirit of entrepreneurship and dynamism in the primary sector. Everything seems easy with him by your side. Finca Parera is run by Rubèn, his father Jordi and two other partners. They cultivate a vineyard, vegetable garden, orchard and olive grove, as well as growing grain. They also make honey from their bees. Covering 30 hectares, the farm produces a wide variety of foodstuffs certified both by the Catalan Council for Organic Agricultural Production (CCPAE), and Demeter, the leading international organisation for biodynamic agriculture certification. While Jordi Parera is one of the pioneers of organic farming in Catalonia, his son Rubèn decided from a young age to focus on winemaking and in 1999 piloted the opening of a winery on the family estate. The company has opted to specialise in natural wines (wines with no added sulphites or additives). Well positioned in the market, Finca Parera distributes its wines across Catalonia and exports them to 26 countries.

Rubèn fell in love with the magic of wine when, at 14 years old, he stayed in France on an exchange programme. Since then, he’s never stopped learning, both out in the vineyard and in the classroom, where he studied engineering and oenology. He’s an all-rounder whose head is constantly buzzing with myriad business ideas, but over the years he’s learned to pace himself. In this respect, another strong character trait that emerges in our chat with Rubèn may come into play: his impressive memory, since he can remember every single year of his life.

When we arrive, we find him disgorging sparkling wines in the company of his cousin, who’s one of the business partners. As they change the caps, the bottles glisten like precious, golden skittles. Rubèn Parera is passionate about the traditional method of making sparkling wine and the precision required to achieve natural bubbles. This is a lovely story about a farmer’s son who’s decided to continue in the footsteps of four generations, preserving their legacy with determination, overcoming obstacles. We’re keen to hear it.

Rubèn, looking at your life and career path, you fall within the third of young people from farming stock who follow in the footsteps of their forebears. Tell us about your origins.

I come from a family of fruit and vegetable growers, starting with my great-grandfather Faust and continuing with my grandfather Joan and then my father Jordi. The original family farm was located in El Papiol. This was back when the Llobregat plain fed Barcelona through the Mercat del Born, an old public market in one of the city’s districts. However, in the 1970s, the industrialisation of the metropolitan area, the construction of industrial estates, motorways, gas pipelines, etc., displaced many farmers, including my father. He started searching for somewhere new to farm, somewhere with fertile land unthreatened by urban or industrial pressure, and ended up buying the land we have now in Alt Penedès. All that remains in this part of El Papiol now are the long-distance footpaths, one of which is called Can Parera, the name of the family’s original house.

Where do you fit in with this move?

My father had already bought this land by the time I was born. We lived in El Papiol, but my father travelled each day to Penedès. As a farmer’s son, I started helping out when I was around seven or eight years old. When I turned 13, I was sent to an agricultural boarding school. But it was during a school exchange trip when I really fell in love with this profession. Just imagine! When I was 14, I spent three months in Bordeaux at Jean-Paul and Christiane’s château, and it was amazing! I remember heading out to the vineyard at seven in the morning with Jean-Paul. There were wine tastings in the evenings, often followed by parties, because my stay happened to coincide with the estate’s 50th anniversary. I could see that there were farmers who were having a blast! When I got back to Catalonia, I suggested to my father that we should start making wine.

«When I was 14, I spent three months in Bordeaux at Jean-Paul and Christiane’s château, and it was amazing!» Rubèn Parera

 

You were very young but already very sure of yourself, which isn’t always the case…

Bear in mind that if you’re going to be a farmer, you have to start making your mind up when you’re 15 or 16 years old; you can’t wait until you’re 18 in farming. So are you going to study or work? Do you want to stay at home, work on a nearby farm or go into industry? So I said to my father that if he replaced his cherry trees with grape vines, I was in. Then, when I was 18, I did a vocational training course in viticulture and oenology, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Growing fruit and vegetables is all well and good, but a jam doesn’t have and will never have the transcendence of wine, which surely has to do with the presence of alcohol.

So you made the switch from fruit growing to winegrowing, a world that was beginning to draw you in.

Yes, in 1996 I planted the first vines: we uprooted cherry trees and planted vines of the xarello variety. That’s how I started out in the world of viticulture. At the same time, I started to work as a technician in a winery, where I learned about production processes. I already knew about grafting and pruning, having grown up in a farming family, but I didn’t know anything about production techniques. In the winery I learned how to clarify, filter, ferment and analyse wine in the laboratory. When I was 20, I realised I didn’t want to work for someone else, but rather to focus on tending to my own estate and opening a small winery.

There comes a time in the history of your farm when your father makes the crucial switch to organic farming. You then go one step further and implement a biodynamic farming approach. How did these developments come about?

We come from four generations of farmers, but in the 1990s, my father, Jordi Parera, became one of the pioneers of certified organic farming. In the early days, all we did was grow our produce and sell it: the fruit went to Mercabarna and the grapes to Bach. Later on, we opened the winery and made the switch to organic winegrowing. After that, I was keen to get into natural wine. There are new waves of consumers who insist on healthy farming practices, and I find biodynamic agriculture very attractive. It’s a totally artisanal way of making wine.

A growing number of small and medium-sized wineries are producing natural wines in order to stand out. What interests you most about the biodynamic approach?

I’m interested in non-intervention; that is, not incorporating additives. For example, we’re disgorging sparkling wine here today using the ancestral method, which is the oldest one in the history of sparkling wine. Disgorging involves removing sediments of proteinaceous matter, wild yeasts and tartaric acid. Using a machine, we remove the organic cap and seal the bottle with a new cap, releasing a little pressure so that it doesn’t make too big a pop when it’s opened. This type of wine is called ancestral in Catalonia and pétillant naturel in France, which means “naturally sparkling”. The fermentation takes place thanks to the action of wild yeast. This is what differentiates it from cava, in which the bubbles are added. The ancestral method is not easily scalable in the wine industry, which is an advantage for artisanal wineries like ours.

Before starting up your own winery, how did you complete your training?

Starting out by working for someone else helped me to discover the nitty gritty of a winery: getting filthy dirty cleaning out the inside of a vat, finding out the physicochemical processes involved, etc. But I soon realised that I was a business-minded person, so after finishing work I’d be planting vines on our own estate with my father. Being a farmer’s son, I wasn’t fazed by cultivation processes, but I lacked technical and scientific know-how, so I decided to go to college. When I was 21, I was admitted to what was then called the Higher School of Agriculture of Barcelona to study agricultural engineering. It soon became apparent that I’d have to pull my socks up, because I was behind my classmates, who’d come straight from completing their upper secondary school diploma. And I was there for more years than planned, because I was also working. But I ended up graduating and managed to grow the winery we’d started up thanks to the grant I obtained on registering as a young farmer, and thanks to the land and machinery my father gave me. Before starting university, we already had one little wine, which we started selling at fairs. But by the time I finished my degree, in 2007-2008, we had an established brand, a customer base – including restaurants – and we were exporting a little.

Nonetheless, you decided to deepen your knowledge further by studying oenology. You wanted to complete the circle and become a farmer, engineer and winemaker.

Yes, I decided to do an oenology degree at Rovira i Virgili University. This time, I found the work much easier because I already had a background in the winemaking business. I was even able to validate optional subjects thanks to my experience! I think the academic path I’ve followed is very important, because it helps me see how to improve the performance and efficiency of processes. For example, when it comes to disgorging bottles, it’s important to lose as little wine as possible, and it’s up to us to work out how to achieve it. My engineering studies have come in handy in this respect.

«The academic path I’ve followed is very important, because it helps me see how to improve the performance and efficiency of processes» Rubèn Parera

 

When did you decide to certify your products?

My father had already obtained the Catalan Council for Organic Agricultural Production (CCPAE) seal. In fact, by that time there were other producers in the Penedès area who already held it. But Finca Parera was part of the first wave of producers to obtain the Demeter biodynamic agriculture seal. At that time, only five other wineries in Catalonia held it.

Opting for biodynamic farming has enabled you to stand out. Indeed, you’re exporting your wines all over the world. Where are you present?

We’re now in 26 countries, including Canada, Brazil, South Africa, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom and the Nordic countries, among others. Natural wine has become fashionable and the wind is in our sails. That’s not only the result of our own efforts; all over the world there’s a large group of new buyers who were 25 years old when I started out and who are now close to 40. The sommeliers in Michelin-starred restaurants are my age: without realising it, we’ve grown up together. And together we’ve reached the same conclusion: we like wines with no intervention.

Although you’re a winemaker and exporter, do you still retain that farming spirit, of someone who owns and lives off the land?

Yes, at Finca Parera we still own the land we cultivate, and I don’t envisage that changing in the future, because farming’s in our genes. We still have a winter and summer vegetable garden, and we annually harvest around ten tons of cherries, five tons of tomatoes and five tons of olives. On top of that, we’re beekeepers. So we’re farmers and winegrowers.

«At Finca Parera we still own the land we cultivate, and I don’t envisage that changing in the future, because farming’s in our genes» Rubèn Parera

 

What do you like the most about your job?

I love the fact that everyone in the family gets involved in the agricultural project. This year my wife has been doing all the brand design, defining our values, etc. And soon we’ll be making meads, ciders and other products to close the circle.

Nowadays, you produce and sell your wines in an old winery in the heart of Sant Llorenç d’Hortons. But this isn’t where you were originally based, is it?

That’s right. We’ve had three different wineries since we started production 24 years ago. Although our land was here in the Penedès area, we first set up the business in a winery that had been left empty in El Papiol, called Celler Minguet. I knew the owners because we used to sing in an Easter choir together! I applied for a loan from the Official Credit Institute (ICO) to refurbish it. A few years later, in 2009, I came across a huge winery, Can Rimondet, which was founded in 1520 as the first communal winery in the entire Penedès area. We ended up leaving Can Rimondet in 2019 when we were offered this place in Sant Llorenç d’Hortons. Its owner at the time, Pere Pujades, was retiring. The winery’s 98 years old. It’s beautiful and has an underground cellar, along with plenty of space on the ground floor and in the lofts. So that’s where we are now, but who knows? Maybe in 10 years’ time we’ll take the plunge and set up shop in the middle of the vineyard.

In addition to producing wines in the winery and marketing them, you’ve taken an important step in the restaurant trade. Can you tell us about this side of the business?

Sure! We currently have two gastronomic wine bars: one in Barcelona and one in Sant Llorenç d'Hortons. Bar Salvatge is on Carrer Verdi in Barcelona and we’ve had it for six years. But following the wave of empowerment spreading across the counties of Barcelona, with the realisation that not everything has to happen in the big city, we’ve opened another place right here in Sant Llorenç d'Hortons, called MamBo. The name comes from the Catalan phrase mam del bo (good booze). I live here, in the town, but I have a business in the city. Actually, I love being a city hipster. I don’t shy away from it, I’m no counter-urbanite. Ha, ha, ha! What’s more, gastronomy is close to my heart, because my parents-in-law are chefs and sommeliers.

It must be complicated having so many irons in the fire. Have you learned anything you’d like to share?

I’ve learned not to get into too much of a flap about new projects, because then they have to be managed. I’ve wasted a lot of energy due to not being able to pace myself. It was beyond me when I was 25, but then you grow a bit wiser and realise you don’t always have to be pushing yourself. Sometimes it’s fine to step aside and enjoy some peace and quiet.

Your business isn’t located within the Montserrat Rural Park itself, but it’s only a stone’s throw away. Do you know about the Land Bank initiative promoted by Barcelona Provincial Council?

Yes, and I think it’s great. As it happens, Iñigo Haughey, the winemaker and production manager at Can Calopa-L'Olivera, has talked to me about land banks. He’s also the cofounder of the Rabassaires company and is on the lookout for somewhere to cultivate vines. That’s why he brought the topic up... I think land banks are useful and offer a great opportunity for people who don’t come from farming stock. I’ve been really lucky because my father had land, whereas Iñigo’s problem at the moment is that he needs to buy land. In fact, his greatest concern isn’t the winery itself but rather the land issue.

«I think land banks are useful and offer a great opportunity for people who don’t come from farming stock» Rubèn Parera

 

How do you think the problem of gaining access to land might be solved?

There’s a window of opportunity at the moment because everyone’s retiring. I’m being offered lots of land! The rabassa morta (a type of sharecropping contract specific to the viticultural sector in Catalonia) no longer exists and landowners have understood that they have to lease out their land, which makes it more affordable for new farmers. Finca Parera can’t afford to lose the organic certification of the surrounding fields: it has to look after them to avoid points of infection for the biodynamic area of the estate. If a neighbouring farmer retires, whose problem is it? Mine. That’s why leasing land is crucial, and the Government of Catalonia provides an official lease contract model that you can use. In the old days, people would sell you the land or offer you a really bad sharecrop contract that involved handing over a fifth or a quarter of your harvest. Nowadays, agricultural leasing is much more widespread. I think there’s been a modernisation of the mindset of countryside folk, partly caused by the fact that many of these landowners don’t have anyone in the family to take over the reins. They’re forced to think about what to do with their land, because if no one farms it, no one will lease or buy it. This change of mindset and the existence of land banks represent opportunities. Having said that, I’m talking about grape vines and winegrowers. If you have grape vines and make wine, you’ll balance the books; if you sell your grapes, you won’t.

You’ve got a very positive outlook on the sector you work in, but you must have identified challenges as well.

I think the main challenge is generational renewal: if there are no new farmers, the primary sector will become completely industrialised. Moreover, there are fewer and fewer people in the sector establishing their own brand. There are plenty of young people in the counties of Barcelona working in design, architecture, law, crafts, etc., but we still haven’t made the leap to farming. The low prices paid for produce are one of the reasons. But if you know that already, pull your socks up and make your own wine! If farmers want to make a good living, they have to become empowered. And empowerment means that if your grandfather was able to open a grocery store selling cabbages and a few wines, why don’t you? You’ve had the training, you’re modern, so get on with it!

«The main challenge is generational renewal: if there are no new farmers, the primary sector will become completely industrialised» Rubèn Parera

 

What does living the good life mean for you?

A good life is one in which you have a job you like and from which you can make a living. If you fall into the dynamic of only seeing work as a way to be rewarded, sooner or later you’ll have a bad life. It goes without saying that to have a good life you need enough income to pay for your kids’ schooling or fuel for your car... But if you can achieve that by working in something you enjoy, then so much the better! It’s fantastic when your profession is your vocation and this vocation brings you income.

— BCN Smart Rural Editorial —