• stakeholder mapping and mobilisation - TEDER, the LAG and project promoter, visited all municipalities in Tierra Estella to identify producers, retailers and hospitality centres. More than 40 farmers/processors registered voluntarily. Local councils supported the project by offering venues free of charge for events and meetings.
• brand development and communication toolkit - the project created the ‘Alimentos con Estrella’ brand from scratch, including its visual identity and communication assets. A regional design SME developed the logo, point-of-sale materials such as shelf talkers, eco-bags, and aprons, along with a media plan. EAFRD financed the prototypes; retailers co-financed the final prints, and the municipal press offices amplified the campaign.
• digital platform and social media launch - the project launched the website along with dedicated social media profiles. The platform included a geolocated producer directory, an events calendar, and consumer-oriented content. Development was funded through CAP resources, while a local IT start-up managed post-launch maintenance under a service contract financed by TEDER’s own budget.
• itinerant agri-food markets - eight festive street markets rotated through valley, mid-mountain and riverside towns, combining sales stands with music, theatre and tasting zones. EAFRD funded logistics (tents, cold storage), while municipalities provided the venues (public squares); more than 40 producers sold their products directly, shortening the chain and cutting food miles.
• retail and campsite point-of-sale activation - 32 grocery shops and nine camp-sites installed branded displays and fridges for local food, improving product visibility, consumer access, and promotional consistency across tourist and local retail points.
• ‘Pinchos with Estrella’ gastronomic contest - 18 bars and restaurants crafted tapas using local ingredients. The event was organised in collaboration with local hospitality associations. The project funded the contest’s promotional activities and a live cooking show finale!
• school outreach and farm visits - 11 primary schools joined workshops on healthy eating and biodiversity; pupils visited cheese dairies, vineyards and apiaries. CAP support paid for the creation of teaching kits, and bus transport was financed by the Mancomunidad de Montejurra water authority.
• ‘Tierra Estella Local Food Day’ fair - A two-day flagship event in Estella-Lizarra combined the pincho contest finale, an enlarged market, concerts and cooking shows, reaching 6 000 visitors and showcasing over 40 producers. The fair served as a vibrant meeting point between rural stakeholders and urban consumers, reinforcing regional identity and supporting short supply chains through direct sales.

• The ‘Food with Estrella’ project significantly enhanced the visibility of local food and engaged a wide range of stakeholders. Through extensive outreach, many local producers joined the campaign, and retail and tourism outlets helped increase public awareness. A series of agri-food markets across Tierra Estella facilitated direct-to-consumer access, strengthening short supply chains and reinforcing the territory’s food identity.
• The ‘Pinchos con Estrella’ contest mobilised 18 restaurants and bars, showcasing innovative recipes with locally produced ingredients and drawing significant public attention. Eleven primary schools participated in educational activities, contributing to long-term consumer awareness and cultural transmission.
• The campaign's visual identity became widely recognisable in the area, with stickers, eco-bags and signage reinforcing the message in commercial and tourism spaces. The project website, with a geolocated map of producers and events, became a reference for local food access.
• Qualitatively, the project succeeded in fostering a shared identity around Tierra Estella’s food heritage and in differentiating local commerce from mass retail chains. While no formal jobs were created, the project helped raise awareness of local products and encouraged collaboration among producers, retailers and hospitality businesses, contributing to a more connected rural food ecosystem. A new phase of development, aligned with regional tourism strategies, is now underway, and is expected to open further funding and opportunities in the 2024–2026 period.

Key lessons

• One of the lessons from the ‘Food with Estrella’ project is that promotional initiatives in rural areas require sustained, personalised engagement with stakeholders. While the project successfully mobilised producers, retailers and hospitality businesses, maintaining momentum proved challenging without continuous institutional support. Informal communication, calls, visits and hands-on facilitation were far more effective than email campaigns alone, especially with small producers who often work in isolation.
• The project also revealed that short-term actions, although impactful, need a long-term vision and financing model to avoid fragmentation. Efforts to establish lasting habits (e.g. sourcing local food, branding, market attendance) need time, repetition and trust-building.
• An interesting outcome was the recognition by local commerce of the strategic value of differentiation: many shops saw local food promotion not just as ethical, but as a way to compete with large retailers through identity and quality.
• For others aiming to implement similar actions, the project holders recommend assigning dedicated personnel with time to maintain direct contact with participants, securing hybrid funding models for continuity and integrating food identity into other territorial policies (e.g. tourism, education, sustainability). Above all, patience and social engagement skills are essential to weaving together the social fabric that sustains rural food systems.