BCC Presents EDA Drinks & Wine Campus, a Groundbreaking Training, Research, and Innovation Project to Boost the Beverage and Wine Sector
Basque Culinary Center, in collaboration with the Basque Government and the Provincial Council of Álava, is proud to introduce EDA Drinks & Wine Campus. This innovative and interdisciplinary project, slated to launch in Álava in 2025, aims to bolster the wine and beverage sector through education, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship. EDA will have two locations, one in Vitoria-Gasteiz and the other in Rioja Alavesa, with specific sites currently under consideration.
After over a decade of international recognition for its contributions to education, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship in gastronomy, Basque Culinary Center is evolving into a gastronomic ecosystem. In line with the pioneering spirit that marked its inception in 2011, it is now embarking on a new endeavor.
EDA will serve as a pioneering center for a strategically significant sector of the economy. It will promote economic and social development in the region through excellence, not only in the wine industry and the wine culture of Euskadi but also by exploring and developing all aspects of the beverage universe on a global scale. This includes beers, kombuchas, teas, distilled spirits, non-alcoholic beverages, and more—the entire liquid world will find its place at EDA.
EDA is an open project that seeks to create alliances and synergies with prestigious organizations, leading companies, wineries, universities, research centers, and private partners, with the aim of building an international collaboration network. It will become a space for creativity and the generation of new ideas, centered on talent attraction and development, rooted in innovation, excellence, knowledge, and sustainability.
In essence, EDA Drinks & Wine Campus aims to transform the beverage sector into an international innovation hub, providing a unique edge to businesses and entities in designing products and services under principles of quality, sustainability, and health. It will have both local and global impact, generating economic and social development.
Comprehensive Training
EDA Drinks & Wine Campus's training plan aligns with the 360° vision of gastronomy and interdisciplinary education. Students will acquire comprehensive knowledge across various disciplines through an innovative and practical educational model.
Within this learning framework, programs designed for students, professionals, businesses, and entrepreneurs will integrate a new 360° global perspective on beverages. This approach will enable the creation of versatile specialized professionals who understand the sector from all angles, capable of innovating in various areas and adapting to changes in consumption, technology, and social trends in the sector.
The academic project will take into account all related academic disciplines, including laboratory sciences, cooking and avant-garde techniques, service, business, design, tourism, leisure, history, sociology, communication, and marketing. It will also encompass all stakeholders in the value chain, from raw material production, processing, distribution, and marketing to the horeca channel and tourism.
Likewise, the curriculum will offer a comprehensive view of all present and future beverages, considering not only wine but also other high-potential beverages such as beer, non-alcoholic drinks, fermented beverages, distilled spirits, and more. This approach will build bridges and synergies, with innovation and sustainability as key academic drivers.
Innovation and Research as Engines of Growth
EDA also recognizes the need to generate applied knowledge about the beverage world and drive the transfer of that knowledge through research and innovation, benefiting both sector professionals and all stakeholders in the value chain and society at large.
This leadership in research will provide a significant competitive advantage to the wine sector and beverage companies compared to new countries seeking to enter the market. Additionally, sustainability is a key focus in this sector and will be a strategic axis for research and development in supporting beverage companies.
EDA will contribute to the expansion of scientific knowledge about the implications of beverages on health and well-being. It will also facilitate the internationalization of the sector, enhance the positioning of domestic beverages in the global market, promote intra and inter-sectoral cooperation in joint innovation and marketing efforts, modernize and improve business management, optimize knowledge in marketing and communication, and increase and support the resilience of sector companies through technological innovation tools.