{"id":287121,"date":"2026-01-16T06:57:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T06:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/287121\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T06:57:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T06:57:44","slug":"how-these-aussie-entrepreneurs-are-conquering-barcelona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/287121\/","title":{"rendered":"How these Aussie entrepreneurs are conquering Barcelona"},"content":{"rendered":"

While the Catalonian capital is famous for its Gaudi architecture, laid-back beach vibes, and tapas \u2013 it\u2019s also proving to be a powerful magnet for a new wave of Australian entrepreneurs flexing their business prowess.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These entrepreneurs span fields such as hospitality, global travel, digital marketing, and essential healthcare, but making it in the sun-drenched city is a monumental challenge. So, how did they do it?<\/p>\n

From DJ in London to Spain soda baron<\/p>\n

For Melbourne native Zim Sutton, the road to becoming a multi-business owner in Barcelona began with his first stint as an expat, following the well-trodden path in London.<\/p>\n

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Caravelle, a cafe and soda brewery, is the brainchild of Zim Sutton. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n

He went from working as a DJ to managing, and later owning, two city centre pubs, but a holiday in Barcelona changed his trajectory.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe moved to Barcelona for six months,\u201d he told realcommercial.com.au. \u201cWe ended up staying because we loved the lifestyle and sunshine so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

With his background in hospitality, Mr Sutton soon identified a gap in the market for Australian-style cafes, and launched Caravelle in the bustling city centre. Opening its doors in 2012, at the time he said that they were \u201cvery much an oddity,\u201d being one of the first to serve specialty coffee and serving food that was \u201cso different from what the locals would eat\u201d.<\/p>\n

He picked up on the brunch trend and after the eatery was featured in a raft of international travel publications, Caravelle turned into a tourist go-to.<\/p>\n

\u201cLuckily brunch was just becoming a big thing here, so we were super busy,\u201d he recalled. \u201cBut it wasn\u2019t until we were written up that we really started to attract a lot of customers. Since then we have been a mainstay on the Barcelona breakfast, coffee, and brunch scene, and continue to evolve and push forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

After four years came the opening of a small non-alcoholic brewery for the restaurant, which soon outgrew the space, leading to the launch of the production facility for Caravelle Brewery. This coincided with the pandemic, but Mr Sutton realised there was strong demand for natural soda.<\/p>\n

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Some of the sodas on offer through Caravelle. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n

Now aged 53, and 13 years on from making the move, the business owner has no regrets.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdmittedly the first few years were tough, but we love living here\u00a0 and we love creating a welcoming space for both locals and visitors from all around the world \u2014 that\u2019s what\u2019s really important to us,\u201d Mr Sutton said.<\/p>\n

Caravelle has since expanded through Spain and will launch in other locations across Europe in 2026.<\/p>\n

A hint of luxury<\/p>\n

Melbourne-born Adam Schwab\u2019s background as a corporate lawyer quickly gave way to entrepreneurship, leading to the creation of Luxury Escapes \u2014 one of the fastest-growing travel companies in the world.<\/p>\n

Founded in 2013, the business aims to provide its 7 million-strong customer base with all-inclusive luxury packages, via its relationships global resorts, hotels, and cruise lines, and given its rapid worldwide expansion, a European hub was a no-brainer for Schwab and his team.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe looked at virtually every country in Europe and narrowed our shortlist to England, Spain, Netherlands and Portugal,\u201d Mr Schwab said. \u201cWhile each country and city had their own benefits, we loved the international nature of Barcelona, its incredibly young and vibrant workforce, amazing weather and commercial attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Luxury Escapes\u2019 office in Barcelona. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n

The expansion has been a major success with the Barcelona office now the global headquarters, with an impressive cultural mix of employees from more than 10 different countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a very experienced legal, and people and culture team who were able to navigate through the laws and regulations in Spain,\u201d Mr Schwab said. \u201cCulturally, we have run a global business for a decade, and we sell a global product in travel, so we\u2019ve found the expansion largely seamless so far.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the decision to open in the Catalan capital, Mr Schwab states that it has been \u201cfar better than we expected.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEurope is our number one growth market and a driver of our continued global scale,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

From broadcast to Barcelona<\/p>\n

Chelsea Anthon spent years climbing the media ladder to forge high-profile positions across radio and TV.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was working in Sydney first in the music industry and then pivoted to Foxtel programming Max TV and then again to digital, taking on the new role of content director at the then Austereo national team, which included the 2DayFm and Triple M networks,\u201d the Sydney native said.<\/p>\n

However, a move to Spain in 2012 to reconnect with her Spanish heritage saw the media guru change tact entirely, leaving the glamorous world of TV and radio behind her.<\/p>\n

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Chelsea Anton\u2019s passion for sherry led her to create Chelsea & Collaborators, a drinks-focused digital marketing agency. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n

Showcasing her digital know-how, the entrepreneur went on to create an agency that could give traditional drinks brands \u2013 her passion being sherry, in particular \u2013 a fresh, global voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really opened my eyes,\u201d she explained. \u201cI built a team and then I officially launched Chelsea & Collaborators Digital Agency in March 2021.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProfessionally, Barcelona made perfect sense,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a vibrant creative hub, close to some of the world\u2019s most historic wine regions, and full of international energy. It became the right place to build something global.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, setting up as a foreigner came with challenges, noting the complex tax systems and the \u201chuge amount of paperwork\u201d that required hiring experts.<\/p>\n

Since launching, the team has grown to over ten full-timers. After the tough but rewarding journey, Ms Anthon has no regrets and is looking forward to the future:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf anything, I would\u2019ve sought support earlier, whether legal, financial, or even just community,\u00a0 instead of trying to figure everything out myself,\u201d the 50-year-old said.<\/p>\n

Counselling in Catalonia<\/p>\n

Brisbane-born psychologist Leigh Matthews had a flourishing private practice and an established academic role in Australia before a love story prompted the \u201cterrifying but exhilarating decision\u201d to move to Barcelona in 2011.<\/p>\n

\u201cI moved to Barcelona after meeting my husband, who is Catalan,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

Within months of arriving, the seeds were sown for what would become Therapy in Barcelona \u2014 seeds that were in part inspired by her own experiences of a daunting new life in an entirely different country.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hit the cultural iceberg and saw how quickly isolation can take hold when you\u2019re far from home,\u201d Mrs Matthews said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe expansion to launch my own business came later, when the demand for therapy in English completely outstripped what I could offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Leigh Matthews (right) moved from Brisbane to Barcelona in 2011 to establish English-speaking counselling service Therapy in Barcelona. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n

This led to Therapy in Barcelona becoming a leading provider of multilingual therapy for internationals in Spain.<\/p>\n

From a solo practice in 2011, the business has successfully grown into a team of 13 therapists and two intake coordinators from all over the world, supporting thousands of clients from more than 45 countries.<\/p>\n

Mrs Matthews has no regrets, but issued some advice for any would-be expats looking to start a business in Spain.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been tough but deeply rewarding. However, looking back, I would invest in admin and intake support much earlier \u2014 trying to do everything myself nearly broke me,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I would seek mentoring sooner. People management and leadership is an art no one teaches you in psychology school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking to the future, the entrepreneur is focused on innovation and different ways to access therapy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are preparing to expand through Online Therapy Europe, a bespoke platform offering culturally sensitive, English-speaking therapy across the European continent,\u201d Mrs Matthews said. \u201cI am also exploring and experimenting with how AI can be used responsibly as an adjunct to therapy; therapists need to be at the helm of those innovations.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While the Catalonian capital is famous for its Gaudi architecture, laid-back beach vibes, and tapas \u2013 it\u2019s also…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":287122,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[178],"tags":[79,18,236,19,17],"class_list":{"0":"post-287121","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entrepreneurship","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-entrepreneurship","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115903479395706079","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=287121"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287121\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/287122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=287121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=287121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=287121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}