MADRID, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Beer brewed in Spain has been exported in ever increasing volumes to China during the last 10 years, the Director of Cerveceros de Espana, Jacobo Olalla, explained to Xinhua in an exclusive interview. This organization represents the interests of Spanish brewers.

Although Spain has always been associated with wine production, the long hot summers mean that the Spanish also have a long tradition of drinking beer. However, Spanish beer export is a relatively recent phenomenon.

Olalla explained that the breakthrough came with the 2008 economic crisis: "Over the past decade, the Spanish brewing sector has made a big effort in the export market with spectacular results. During the last 10 years, we have seen exports grow by 250 percent," he said.

The crisis had led to a downturn in domestic beer consumption, and breweries turned to the export market to help compensate for lower domestic sales.

"First we looked to countries around us, such as Portugal or countries with a beer drinking tradition, such as the UK, but then the chance to export to China appeared," explained Olalla.

According to data supplied by Cerveceros de Espana, Spanish beer exports to China increased 672 times in value and 628 times in volume between 2008 and 2018.

"China is an enormous market, with a great deal of potential for growth and a lot of consumers. It is also a powerful economy and all the time there are more people there who want quality products, such as Spanish beer," continued Olalla, adding that 22.12 percent of Spain's beer exports now go to China.

Last year saw 54.22 million liters of beer worth 49.8 million euros (56.45 million U.S. dollars) exported from Spain to China, with only Portugal and the UK importing more.

"Spanish beer is a product of tremendous quality: Spain is a massive producer of cereals, such as wheat and barley, which are vital for brewing good beer and perfect for making lager, which is a style of beer that is usually light, not too alcoholic and easy to drink," explained the director of Cerveceros de Espana. He added that cultural factors have also worked in favor of enabling the Chinese to develop a taste for Spanish beer.

"All the time our relationship with China is expanding. Beyond trade, we also see more Chinese tourists in Spain, and there are more Chinese people living and working here now," he said, adding that while in Spain, more and more Chinese people try and get to like Spanish beer.