Francisco José Robles's Page

Bodegas Robles is a family company of reference in the production of fortified wines and ecology that has managed to stay on the market to be able to identify business opportunities in an environment apparently unfavorable.
Bodegas Robles's success can be summarized in four key factors:
a. His innovative energy in both process and product
b. Its product differentiation strategy based on organic farming
c. Its strategy of related diversification by micro segmentation of markets
d. Its communication strategy on low-cost and high dissemination focused on the participation in wine tasting competitions at national and international
Seeking to differentiate its products that allow survival, Bodegas Robles opted for the Environment in a time when there was huge uncertainty and ignorance in this regard. Their efforts, both in research and development, and diffusion of the culture of farming has given fruit. Bodegas Robles is now a "great green company" as reflected obtained numerous awards in national and international competitions most prestigious wine tasting, and for your consideration as one of the most dynamic wineries in Andalusia through its various projects research on products and processes derived from farming.

Description of the Business projet
In 1927 José Antonio Robles comes with his family in the area Moriles Montilla Cordoba, a place where the production of fortified wines is an important economic activity. Without any knowledge of the sector, but driven by an entrepreneurial spirit that would later be transmitted to their descendants, launches the Bodegas Robles. The next generation of the family, with Francisco Robles to the head, modernized the winery combining craft techniques with the introduction of new production technologies. With the advent of the third generation, the late '90s, led by Francisco José Robles and strongly supported by his sister Pilar, the activity of the wineries experienced a shift in its mission. Francisco José Robles, aware that generous wine consumption is declining in favor of red wine and taking into account the strong competition from the Jerez region, decided to refocus the business model of the company. At a time when organic farming is beginning to develop timidly, Francisco José Robles decides to bet on it. This convinces the rest of the family members of the company that it is an alternative that could allow them not only differentiated from other wineries producing wines, but also enjoy the benefits of those who "moves first in the game competition "in the event that this" philosophy "described in any society.
At first, Bodegas Robles is facing the problem of lack of knowledge in regards to organic farming, both by employers farmers, and the government, and consumers. Thus, with the aim of acquiring knowledge and training in the subject, begins working with a research group from the University of Cordoba and asking for help to the fledgling organic farming associations.
In 2000, Bodegas Robles offers the market's first certified organic wines belonging to a designation of origin in southern Spain. The company has won numerous prestigious awards and a growing international recognition and is considered one of the most dynamic wineries in Andalusia through its various research projects on products and processes derived from farming. Moreover, aware that much remains to be done in the awareness of society by the need for organic farming, Francisco José Robles actively involved in the creation and development of partnerships for the promotion of (GREEN SECTOR) organic wine, such as FEPECO (Spanish Federation of Enterprises with Organic Products), which currently is president.
Ultimately, the success of the business model of Bodegas Robles is due to the entrepreneurial attitude and the perseverance of Francis Joseph and the rest of the Robles family.

1.   Identification and characterization of the Business model

The business model of Bodegas Robles is based on the ability of its president, Francisco José Robles, to anticipate market opportunities before they are visible to the rest of their competitors. Thus, in the late 90s the company made a singular commitment: to develop the world's first range of organic wines generous. This bet has paid off, because in 2006 the worldwide association of writers, journalists and wine and spirits has classified the wines of Bodegas Robles in the post 33 of the ranking of the best wines in the world and ranks 10 of the Spain's best wines. In addition, in January 2009, Bodegas Robles became the first and only winery in Montilla Pedro Ximenez include your selection in the Honor Roll of the best wines from Spain with a score of 96 on 100 and be second in Spanish winery the category of sweet wines. Moreover, in May 2006, Bodegas Robles is awarded by the Ministry of Environment as the best ecological Spain.
The numerous awards that the company holds, in addition to mirroring the success of their business model are the result of the communication strategy followed by Bodegas Robles. Another of the bets placed by Francisco José Robles on arrival at the direction of the company was its international dissemination. Given the limited resources of the company, Francisco José chose to follow the strategy of presenting their products to prestigious competitions nationally and internationally. The numerous international awards signaled from the wisdom of that decision to be accompanied by a quality product differentiable. To summarize, it stresses that it's Robles 1927 Pedro Ximenez Selection 'has achieved a Gold Medal in 2008 by Les Internationales Vinalies third consecutive year, the same trophy at Biofach 2008 and the Great Gold Medal of the main competition in the German organic 2007 edition. In the 2008 edition of the German ecological competition, the top award has gone to another wine of Bodegas Robles, the 'Stone Luenga Fino'. In addition, another came from this range, the 'Pale Cream has managed a recommendation on the largest trade fair of wines made from organically grown grapes in the world held in Nuremberg. This success has not only been recognized in awards. Consumers appreciate and that 2010 is recognized as the best restaurant in the world, "El Bulli", has included in its letter the organic wines of Bodegas Robles.
The introduction of organic farming is complex and requires time and effort. For this reason, in 2010, Bodegas Robles maintains part of its production system for traditional production of wine, despite all their lands are designated for the receipt of "organic grapes" which are the raw material for total organic production of wines and vinegars Bodegas Robles.
That is, despite the ecological importance of what their business model, Bodegas Robles has two markets: the traditional and ecological. The decision by retaining part of the activity of the company with traditional crops has three root causes. First, the high long-term recovery of investment in organic farming, since the average estimate of time since the beginning of the transformation of crops traditional to organic to picking the first crop is 3 years . Second, because there is not enough land, both belonging to the company and other farmers in the area of Montilla, to nurture the needs of organic grapes that would result from having 100% of the production company associated with ecology. Finally, the small size of the organic market today which raises doubts as to the possible absorption of the production of the supply of Bodegas Robles.
The traditional market is made up of several products: fine, fragrant, Amontillado, Palo Cortado, Pedro Ximenez, Cream, Pale Cream, red wine, vinegar, etc.. For its part, the organic product portfolio consists of wines (white, thin, red, Pale Cream and Pedro Ximenez) and vinegar (white wine and red wine Pedro Ximénez). Luenga Stone, their range of organic wine is the first from among the denominations of origin in southern Spain has been certified as organic.
Indeed, introduction of organic wine Bodegas Robles has made to an innovation in its business model. Organic wine, biological or organic is defined as "wine made from organically grown grapes, agricultural techniques based on the European Regulation 2092/91, achieving the highest quality grapes to protect the environment and preserving or increasing soil fertility culture, through the optimal use of natural resources, without synthetic chemicals and chemical fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, etc., avoiding waste not desirable in wine, thus obtaining a healthier food and great quality. For a wine can be considered organic must be produced from grapes grown in an organic vineyard. In this regard, that a vineyard is classified as organic, an agency has to certify it officially recognized as such. The importance of organic vineyards is due to the gradual depletion of farmland by as aggressive farming techniques practiced during the years 1950-2010 (approximately), which has led to progressive soil erosion, and thus the need for artificial inputs. These artificial inputs, in excessive doses, are a problem for the balance of the ecosystem. For this reason, organic vineyards, which rebalance the ecosystem, not only used to obtain a higher quality product, but also improve the environment.

It should be mentioned that it was tradition Robles wineries produce wines free of chemical residues. With such extreme weather conditions suffered in the south of Spain (temperatures ranging between -5 º and 45 º), pest control in this area of the peninsula has never been a problem. To avoid them, farmers have needed only a small dose of preventative treatments in the crop. For this reason, the vineyards have always remained very close to the ecological.
The production methods used by parents and grandparents of those in 2010 are the managers of Bodegas Robles, are the basis of what winemakers seem to seek more demanding (see Figure 2): grape harvest smaller high as expressing the completeness of the grape variety without being muddied by the aroma or taste of chemical waste. " This is the principle that has guided the lifestyle of the Robles family for several generations, because as stated by the president of Bodegas Robles, "organic viticulture is essential for environmental protection."
Organic viticulture is much more than a form of agriculture is a philosophy. Using the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, the celebrated nineteenth-century American philosopher, Francisco José Robles said that "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow for our descendants." In the cellar, the production of organic wine suggests no use of chemical additives. The development team Bodegas Robles pays special attention to use of indigenous yeasts and physical treatment of organic wine (diatomaceous earth filtration and cold stabilization). The careful selection of healthy grapes at harvest and hygiene of the winery are essential to reduce the minimum required, the use of preservatives and antioxidants (sulfur dioxide being the only one used) after fermentation to a minimum.

It is noteworthy that Bodegas Robles has not worked alone in this project. On the other hand, has relied on its high relational capital, focusing on their relationships with customers, specifiers, journalists and, very closely with associations like FEPECO (Spanish Federation of Enterprises with Organic Products), in which Francisco José Robles is president. This association, which was established in 2005 and initially consisted of industry associations in Andalusia, Catalonia, La Rioja and Navarre, with the aim of boosting the market for organic products in Spain, in the year 2010 a world reference in terms of production.

1.   The role of innovation

Innovation is a key pillar of business model Bodegas Robles. In principle, its innovative capacity was directed towards innovation in the process, focusing on the implementation of a radical innovation in the production process which consisted in changing the traditional production system to organic. However, the consequences of innovation has transcended the process and have led to an incremental innovation in your product. That is, the wine made of the ecological process has similar characteristics to traditional wines, but shows a distinctive quality and taste that make them completely novel. In addition, Bodegas Robles has entered the market a line of organic vinegars that markets, like the wine line, marked "Luenga Stone"

Moreover, Bodegas Robles holds the patent for the production process and product "Tropivin." This is a tropical wine made of 85% of grapes and 15% of tropical fruits. Bodegas Robles management believes that the taste of the product is exceptional. However, several problems have prevented wine law, until 2010, Bodegas Robles mass market product.
The innovative spirit of Francisco José Robles has led him to maintain a constant research plan. This plan aims to develop and improve knowledge for the development of high quality organic wine, competitive and friendly environment. Bodegas Robles believes that new organic wines are responsive to the needs of individuals and the market. The main projects that the company is involved in 2010 are: the study of the influence of vegetation cover on an organically grown vineyard (January 2002) and the comparative study of the aromatic phase between wines from organic vineyards and non-organic "(January 2004). Bodegas Robles is working with the Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Soil Science and Enology, University of Córdoba in these investigations. In addition, in August 2009, Bodegas Robles became the first and only Spanish winery in estimating emissions from GEAS greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of organic wine PX Bio Luenga stone into the atmosphere. Thanks to this innovation, consumers can know how much CO2 is generated in the procurement of items such as wine, oil and cherry tomatoes.
Another innovation implemented by Bodegas Robles is related to wine production together with tourism, that is, wine tourism and wine tourism. The wineries and wine tourism is one type of tourism dedicated to promoting and managing the wealth of a particular wine region. It is related to culinary tourism, cultural and health-beauty. In this sense, tourists can visit the area Montilla wine through wine tasting and visiting wineries and vineyards like Bodegas Robles.