HISTORY of ATLANTICA

My passion for Spanish food started when my family immigrated to Spain when I was four years old. Between the ages of four and eleven, I lived in the beautiful, Mediterranean fishing town of Javea, on Spain’s east coast.

The school day was split by a long lunch & siesta. I would usually join one of my friends and respective family for lunch in their home and the food was the focal point and such a colourful and delicious assault on the senses.

I finished my education in the UK and at the age of 16 went straight into the workplace and trained as a chef in a top five star hotel with a Michelin star head chef and restaurant.

At the age of 24, I opened a Café in Chester with my then girlfriend and now wife, Jane. From day one we started to put light snacks on the menu with a Spanish influence.

We also made all our own dressings and sauces, which customers would ask us to fill in little bottles they brought in from home. One of our customers was the manager of our local Tesco and he suggested we try and get it listed in his store.

A trial in 20 stores around Merseyside was agreed. We hand delivered the stock to the back door and they gave us a signed, white delivery note as proof of delivery.

After 6 months the Tesco buyer asked if we could cope with a national listing of over 400 stores. We agreed and that then generated lots of local and national media coverage, including a full page article in the Weekend FT. That is how our new and rewarding career in the food industry began.