The story of growth from Brindisa, Home of Spanish Food in UK

The lessons of growth from Brindisa, Home of Spanish Food in UK

We love to highlight unique stories and this time we want to share the incredible story of Brindisa, which we visited during the last module of Design Leaders. Founded with heart and soul on a love for authentic Spanish foods and culture, Brindisa has grown from a niche importer to a beloved name in London’s food and hospitality scene. Their incredible journey holds powerful lessons for founders, food lovers, and anyone balancing purpose with growth. 

Read the story of Brindisa and insights on its growth below:

A business that began with a personal discovery and cultural insight

Back in 1988 when the business was founded by Monika Linton, knowledge of Spanish gastronomy was almost non-existent in the UK. Monika saw an opportunity rooted in passion - she wanted to bring the culture and foods she loves to a wider audience. Thirty years on the business has grown to retail outlets, selling hundreds of different products to many of the country's finest restaurants, five tapas bars and restaurants in Central London, ham schools and a state of the art warehouse in Balham which includes cheese maturing rooms.

So how did she do it?

Monika nurtured the opportunities

After becoming a fan of Perelló’s olives, Monika started to ship large tins of them through a partnership with business owner Gaspar Perelló and his wife María Ribó. 30 years of friendship and partnership later, it was time for Gaspar and María to retire, and Monika saw the opportunity to preserve and continue their work through Brindisa, acquiring the company and embracing Spanish foods at their most classic and simple while diversifying their ranges, designs, and packaging.

Monika always valued relationships over transactions 

Early on, Brindisa invested in strong supplier partnerships with artisan producers, always making sure to meet them in person: “It is really important to meet them and look them in the eye.” This created not just a supply chain, but a value chain. Trust and quality go hand in hand when building something that lasts.

Monika took culture seriously

At Brindisa they have daily huddle reports providing clear insights from all areas of the business and follow an "Open Philosophy" which involves maintaining clarity with employees regarding both service and financial details. It allows people to understand the hidden costs and the complexity in a business to make something actually work, and in turn allow them to grow and develop into better business people. 

She always stayed true to herself

Whether tackling expansion challenges or embracing new tech, Brindisa’s journey is one of learning without losing direction. Their mantra, “Stay true to seed”, reminds us: evolve, but don’t forget who you are. Heart is at the core of everything they do; as Monika says: “Your heart really has to hum; it has to do something inside of you, for you to be able to convince your audience that what you have is really special.