Demetrio Carceller Arce, presented with the Eduardo Barrachina Golden Award 2026
The Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the UK officially recognises Damm’s outstanding contributions to the UK market. The accolade was accepted by its Executive Chairman, Demetrio Carceller Arce, at an Award Ceremony celebrated at the Spanish Ambassador’s Residence in London
The Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the UK has presented its Eduardo Barrachina Golden Award 2026 to Damm. The award was received by Demetrio Carceller Arce, Executive Chairman of Damm, during a reception held at the Residence of the Spanish Ambassador in London, Emma Aparici Vázquez de Parga.
During the event, the Ambassador delivered the institutional welcome and congratulated Damm on the distinction. Guests were also welcomed on behalf of the Spanish Chamber by Juan Carlos Machuca, President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the UK.
Demetrio Carceller Arce’s attendance highlighted the prestige of the award and Damm’s significant role in the UK market. Upon receiving it, Carceller Arce stated:
"Our greatest achievement in the United Kingdom is the trust we have earned from consumers, distributors, publicans, customers, and from all those who have chosen to share this journey with us. That is why we acquired Eagle Brewery in Bedford, to brew here, invest here and create jobs here, a country in which we wanted to invest, grow and build a long-term future."
"With regards to the recent acquisition of the quintessentially British brand, Old Speckled Hen, we believe that the more global a company becomes, the greater its responsibility to protect what makes each place unique. Preserving a brand so deeply rooted in British brewing tradition is, for us, both an honour and a responsibility".
The Eduardo Barrachina Golden Award remains one of the Chamber’s flagship corporate events, recognising the outstanding achievements of a Spanish company operating in the UK market, with previous winners including FCC (2025), Indra (2024), RIU Hotels (2023) and Navantia (2022).
A key milestone in Damm’s UK journey has been a recent £70 million strategic investment to modernise the company’s Eagle Brewery in Bedford. Acquired in 2022, the brewery is now a state-of-the-art production facility, with significantly increased capacity, reinforcing Damm’s long-term commitment to the UK as one of the company’s core international markets. The investment has also helped to drive local economic growth, creating 300% more new jobs since 2022, and key sustainability advances through reduced transport emissions and more efficient production processes.
The Ambassador of Spain to the United Kingdom, Emma Aparici Vázquez de Parga, congratulated Damm on its achievement: “One hundred and fifty years later, in this very year of 2026 that we are now bidding farewell to, Damm marks that anniversary as one of Spain's most recognised brands worldwide, present in more than one hundred and thirty countries and true, generation after generation, to the values of quality and authenticity that shaped its beginnings.”
Juan Carlos Machuca, President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the UK emphasised the importance of the award and Damm’s commitment to the UK market, stating:"Damm has become a truly international company that continues not only to grow, but also to remain deeply committed to people and to society — what Mr. Demetrio Carceller describes as 'practical humanism'. "
"I would also like to highlight that Damm’s decision to establish one of its operations in Bedford, an area beyond Greater London is making a valuable contribution to the local economy, helping to revitalise the area and create new employment opportunities."
