Mark Wuyten: La Cesta Fresca
LA CESTA FRESCA delivers fresh groceries to your doorstep: peak-season fruit & vegetables, top-quality beef, free-range poultry, daily fresh fish, cooked pork, artisanal Italian pasta, and much more. Using refrigerated trucks, La Cesta Fresca dispatch fresh products to your home daily, offering a wide range of time slots to adapt to your busy lifestyle.
We hear from Mark Wuyten—the man behind this successful online business…
Name: Mark Wuyten
Nationality: Dutch
Number of years residing in Barcelona: 17
Age: 47
Company: La Cesta Fresca
1. Where did the original idea come from?
My wife and I were actually our first clients. We both have busy jobs and an intense social life. Although we enjoyed treating our friends to gastronomic lunches and dinners, we were constantly struggling to find time to visit the fresh market—until one day a friend offered to pick up all the fresh products we needed right from the market. It turned out that he was operating a fruit and vegetable stand in the Sant Gervasi market for the past 25 years. We realized that there was a genuine need for a high-quality delivery service for fresh products. Several lunches later, La Cesta Fresca was born!
We want to serve people that care about working with good food at home. Preparing delicious, healthy meals is a great way to show your love and friendship, but a trip to the grocery store for the ingredients is seldom rewarded with the same gratitude.
2. How long did it take to get your business off the ground?
We worked for six months before we received our first order, but today we are proud to have become an important player, shaping the future of daily, fresh home delivery in Barcelona.
3. What do you wish you’d known when you started?
Maybe we underestimated the importance of web shop programming. This aspect of our business has been on the critical timeline from the very beginning. However, we are very proud of the result.
4. How easy was it get the financing for your business?
So far we haven’t sought external financing, mainly because we have been able to keep our overheads very low.
5. Did you find the paperwork difficult?
We have contracted a consulting firm to do it for us.
6. Did you get help from any particular official organisations or associations (e.g. Chambers of Commerce)?
No.
7. What is your business experience / background / qualifications?
Our management team consists of four partners, each individual with over 20 years of experience in their specialized area: business, finance, online marketing and fresh food.
8. What are the positive aspects about having a business here?
Barcelona is a beautiful city and a wonderful place to raise a family. Having my own business allows me to enjoy the city and strike a perfect balance between my professional and family life. Unique to life in this big city is having the Collserola Natural Park at just a stone’s throw, and the constant temptation to go out for a run.
9. And the negative aspects?
Someone who is just setting up a business in Barcelona may find that the business climate isn’t as collaborative as in other cities. Fortunately, Barcelona boasts a very strong work ethic, which, in my opinion, offsets this initial negative.
10. Are there any other useful contacts, tips or information you think would be useful to other foreign entrepreneurs in Barcelona?
Be proactive. In my opinion, it is imperative to familiarise yourself with the local culture as soon as possible: get involved at your children’s school, join a sports club and get to know local people. You will make long-lasting friendships and they will become lasting customers.