El Paladar, El Iris Award for Economy and Business

El Paladar has been around for over 20 years as a consolidated gourmet products company in Menorca, but it has also emerged on the Islands. Their drive, vision, product selection and their very own way of doing things earned them the Economy and Business award at the recent El Iris Awards 2024.

But what is the secret to keeping a company of this nature constantly growing? Kiko Muñoz, who is a co-founder with Pepe Moreno, tells us.

How did you receive the news of the El Iris award?

We were delighted when Bep Al·lès called us to tell us the news. But it was even more special when we arrived at the dinner and saw the people there. We felt that we were doing something right when we saw ourselves surrounded by such good people and businessmen.

Let's take a brief historical look at how El Paladar began.

Pepe and I worked together at what was SYP. And when Eroski bought them, there were changes that customers didn't like and there started to be a lot of complaints. That's when Pepe's light bulb went on and he thought about doing something that was ours, and doing it our way. So we traveled to Barcelona and Madrid to see gourmet stores, and since we were based in charcuterie, we thought it would be a good combination to offer a new service that didn't exist at that time in Menorca, in 2004.

When we opened the first store, we started to have customers from Mahón asking us for a point on the Levante side, so we opened one there too. In 2014, a customer of ours from Mahón, Federico Borsatti, told us that he would like to be part of the company. With his entry, we decided to try to expand to the neighboring islands. In this way, we believed that, if we were to become strong, the first step was to establish stores in Ibiza and Mallorca and consolidate them, which is the work we have done for the last 10 years, approximately. We have focused on creating a system, in stock control, and in Menorca we also do hospitality distribution, catering and online sales.

Looking back, did you expect to get to where you are now?

No, the truth is not. We are excited to keep doing things and prospering, but we never expected to reach the volume we have now. But it is true that we always have ideas and, if opportunities arise, we grow.

What pushes you to grow?

In my case, it is to follow inspiring examples, even if they are from other sectors. I remember that I thought that I did not want to be a slave to a store, but to be able to have autonomy and equipment to be able to live a little better, although that is not really the case. Our vision is to have a very good team, well paid, to make them part of the company and have them help you grow. It is the most complicated thing, but I think it is the key to companies that prosper and that employ people. We are now about 60 people in the company, and in high season we reach 80. It is not a small team, and each person carries their own backpack and you have to keep that in mind, so that you can place each profile where they feel best and most useful.

Is the staff the key to El Paladar's success?

Yes, it is a good part. There are always moments of lack of understanding or communication, but we make it short-lived. This happens in companies and in life. Deep down, however, we create a good atmosphere, and the staff supports us. The presentation of the El Iris award is an example of this, where four people from the company sat down with us, who are always there and have been with us for many years.

The last big move was to close the store on Carrer Creu, the first one you opened, and open another one, much bigger. What did this change entail?

It took a little bit of respect, closing the first store we opened. But it is true that it was the first place we were able to open at a time when there were no stores, so we said “this is what we have”. In 2010, after the crisis, we were able to open the store in the center, but already there we saw that there were two places that were very close, and we wanted to have a more separate location. When the opportunity for the place in front of the institute arose two years ago, that’s when we made the change, and we are very happy about it, because the performance is much higher.

Do you have any other projects to grow in the near future?

In the short term, no. We are focused on the summer season, which seems to be coming along well, and on catering events. We already noticed this at the HORECA fair, which we held a few weeks ago in Maó. There we saw the success of the meats we bring from a company in Zarautz, and also of the Italian products we bring from a supplier in Barcelona. They are the ones that were most successful and the ones that help us grow the most in the distribution of the hospitality industry.

Do you have star products?

Yes, many. On our first trip to Barcelona we were very lucky to meet Antonio Branco, who had been in the world of delicatessen all his life. He saw that we were young and curious, and gave us a selection of suppliers that he had been selecting, and of those, we still have many who are still with us, and have been part of the success of El Paladar.

So, the key to success is a good team and a good product?

And a good balance between price and quality. We have always been clear that we want to offer an accessible product. We cannot live off selling caviar. That is why we try to have a middle line, that does not go overboard, and that is what has helped us to have volume and grow.