Somos Esencia opens two new restaurants in Barcelona after having a turnover of more than 17 million in 2023

The restaurant group Somos Esencia is expanding in Barcelona. After closing 2023 as a historic year with a turnover exceeding 17 million euros—almost 20% more than in the previous year— the restaurant conglomerate reinforces its commitment to the Catalan capital with two new restaurants.

At the beginning of 2024, he already made his first big move with the reopening of the iconic Bauma Bar, a restaurant with more than 50 years of history in the city. Now, with an ambitious growth plan—with a turnover forecast of 30 million in 2024—Somos Esencia has announced to Metropoli that it will open two new restaurants before summer: Barraca and Fauna Café.

Reopening of Barraca

El Barraca, a restaurant in Barceloneta with a long history, has been acquired by the group and will be completely renovated. As Alex Mitats, executive director, explained to this digital, a comprehensive reform of the premises will be carried out, as well as the menu, although we will strive to maintain the historical essence of the establishment.

The opening of this project on the seafront of the Catalan capital is a great opportunity with the arrival of the America's Cup of Sailing. "The teams in the competition have already taken an interest in our venues and we expect a big movement between August and October," explains Mitats. Thus, the company will reinforce its presence in Barceloneta, where it already has the restaurant Agua.

The new Fauna Café

On the other hand, the Fauna Café is a new project that will open at Arc de Triomf in "approximately one month." According to Mitats, a Metropoli, it occupies the ground floor of a new building in the area and intends to offer its customers two different concepts: an area dedicated to tapas and breakfast and another to a restaurant.

With these two acquisitions, Somos Esencia will now have seven restaurants in the Catalan capital: Bauma Bar, Fauna Café, Brown Cat, Barraca, Water, White Land, and Breeze. "We have set ourselves some very important objectives. Ambitious, but we are convinced that we have everything necessary to fulfill them with our gastronomic offer," says the executive director.

300 additional employees

The growth of Somos Esencia will also be reflected in the increase in staff. Thus, and according to the company's road map, it will end 2024 with a workforce of around 300 employees between offices and all their premises.

The group's commitment, as they explain to this media outlet, is focused on Barcelona because of their roots and their trajectory in the city. However, they say that they "do not close any doors" to expanding their presence in prime locations in other Spanish cities in the future.

Water, the beginning of the business

We are Esencia is a family business with more than 30 years of experience in the sector that was born after the sale of Grupo Tragaluz to the investment fund Miura. As explained by the executive director, the Agua was part of the group and was left out of the operation, so the Mitats family—linked to Tragaluz in the beginning—began to manage it.

Following the acquisition of two additional restaurants, Tierra Blava and Brisa, the need to form a group became apparent, which has taken a significant leap forward in 2024.