We are Esencia and we are opening two new restaurants in Barcelona after achieving a turnover of more than €17 million in 2023.

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

At the beginning of 2024, it took its first major step with the reopening of the iconic Bauma Bar, a restaurant with more than 50 years of history in the city. Today, with an ambitious growth plan—with projected revenue of €30 million in 2024—Somos Esencia announced to Metropoli the opening of two new restaurants before the summer: Barraca and Café Fauna.

Reopening of Barraca

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 in the digital age, a comprehensive local renovation will be carried out, including the menu, while striving to preserve the historic essence of the establishment.

The launch of this seaside project in the Catalan capital is a great opportunity with the arrival of the America's Cup of Sailing. "The teams participating in the competition are interested in our sites, and we are expecting significant growth between August and October," explains Mitats. The company is thus strengthening its presence in Barceloneta, where it already owns the restaurant Agua.

The new Fauna Café

On the other hand, Fauna Café is a new project that will open its doors at Arc de Triomf in "about a month." According to Mitats, a metropolis, it occupies the ground floor of a new building in the neighborhood and plans to offer its customers two different concepts: a space dedicated to tapas and breakfast and another dedicated to a restaurant.

Thanks to these two acquisitions, Somos Esencia will have seven restaurants in the Catalan capital: Bauma Bar, Fauna Café, Chat Brun, Tente, Eau, Terre Blanche, and Brise. "We have set ourselves the most ambitious goals, but we are convinced that we have everything we need to achieve them thanks to our gastronomic offering," says the CEO.

300 additional employees

The growth of Somos Esencia will also be reflected in an increase in its impact. Thus, according to the company's roadmap, it will end 2024 with a workforce of around 300 employees across its offices and all its premises.

The group's commitment, as they explain to this media outlet, is focused on Barcelona due to their roots and history in the city. However, they affirm that they are "not closing any doors" to future expansion of their presence in prime locations in other Spanish cities.

Water, the starting point for the company

We are Essence, a family business with over 30 years of experience in the sector following the sale of Grupo Tragaluz to the Miura investment fund. As explained by the executive director, the Agua restaurant Agua part of the group and was excluded from the sale. It was therefore the Mitats family, originally linked to Tragaluz, who began to manage it.

After acquiring two other restaurants, Tierra Blava and Brisa, the need to form a group became apparent, which took a big step forward in 2024.