Madrid, Spain November 8, 2023. The third edition of the program aims to position the business fabric of Bogota and the Region in Europe and support Colombian MSMEs in their internationalization processes by entering the Spanish market through the El Corte Inglés department store chain, which has more than 1,750 commercial establishments.

During the presentation of the program, Ovidio Claros Polanco, executive president of the Bogota Chamber of Commerce, said: "This edition focuses on promoting our renowned gastronomy and our region as a first class tourist destination in Spain. With Bogota Marcando Estilo we support those new businesses of young entrepreneurs, we highlight the work of those small suppliers whose work is fundamental for the development of our gastronomy, and we generate new business opportunities for those MSMEs of the agricultural and agro-industrial sector in such an important market as the Spanish one".

The third edition of the program will begin with the cooking contest, in which the young participants will have to prepare a special recipe, using ingredients native to the region, which will be evaluated by members of both organizations. The winner will have the opportunity to promote his or her gastronomic proposal for 6 months in the 96 restaurants of the Spanish chain and to visit the Iberian country. The winners of the past editions were chef Jaime Torregrosa, from Humo Negro restaurant, chef Ana María Vargas, from Balú restaurant and Andrés Carne de Res.

In addition, in order to promote new business for micro and small and medium-sized enterprises in the agricultural and agro-industrial sector in Bogota and the region, a supply roundtable will be held to acquire foods made with cocoa, fruits, panela, chocolate, among others, which can be part of the Mediterranean diet and sold in the chain of stores. Finally, to promote the country as a tourist and gastronomic destination through adventure and ecotourism plans, the organizations will work with about 10 tour operators to increase the number of travelers to Colombia and Bogota and also increase the number of days of their visits. In the 2022 edition, 7,116 tickets were sold, which represented 140% more than sales in 2021.

Previous editions

In 2022 the winning restaurant was Humo Negro and its menu was offered in 89 Corte Inglés cafeterias, which had 2.5 million visits and more than 5,000 customers. On the other hand, 12 food companies participated in the supply roundtable, of which Casa Luker, San Gregorio and Heincke Group sent samples and are closing deals in 2023. In addition, nine fashion companies participated exhibiting their products in 5 pop-ups achieving exports for more than 800 million Colombian pesos.

In the 2018 edition, the menu of the two winners of the contest, Balú and Andres Carne de Res, was offered in the 100 cafeterias of El Corte Inglés, with a variety of appetizers and four typical Bogota entrees, prepared with local products. To prepare the menu, El Corte Inglés contracted several Colombian food suppliers who exported their products for the chefs to cook the dishes.