A group of four Spanish friends have succeeded in introducing the typical Spanish custom of having an aperitif with a few beers and the delicious products of latería in the United States. Three years ago, these friends set themselves the goal of promoting the best seafood products from the other side of the Atlantic. Their efforts have resulted in this custom becoming popular in the United States.
Vicent Sendra, one of the founders of the Lata company, based in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, aims to have his product, all i pebre de El Palmar, consumed by people in Manhattan. A native of Pego (Alicante), Sendra and his partners strive to spread this tasty can through their business.
The company has achieved its goal with traditional products such as anchovies from Santoña, sardines from Santurce and razor clams from the Rías Baixas. They have been able to expand their presence in the United States and have received orders from Mexico to Canada.
During the pandemic, four friends living in New York began planning to open a bar to spread one of Spain’s most beloved traditions: the vermouth hour. Over time, they realized that the success of the business lay in combining their individual skills.
Sendra, a Spanish entrepreneur, has been bringing products from his country to the United States for nearly ten years. He is also known as the best paella home cook in New York City thanks to his business Paellaway. His partner in Valencia for nine years, Nacho Valle, was also from Valencia and together they had success with the Turmix bar and the Japanese restaurant Kokura, which still serves sushi in the Carmen neighborhood.
Daniel Viedma, a telecommunications engineer from Badalona, and Xavier Gallego, a well-known graphic illustrator and designer from Vic, are part of the team behind Lata. Both moved to California during the process of creating the project. The combination of their skills was fundamental to the successful completion of Lata.
Online store
After careful consideration, they realized that opening an online gourmet canning store would have a broader reach and would save costs. According to Sendra, the most important thing was to offer high quality products that could not be found in supermarkets. In the United States, there is still a misconception that canned fish is a cheap and unsophisticated food.
Another idea implemented was to bring the snacking culture to the digital world. A subscription-based community of food lovers was created, where customers can discover new products and learn about their origin and how they are consumed in Spain, as well as receive recipes to prepare them. According to Sendra, this innovative idea is already being copied by others.
For a monthly subscription of $49.90 (46.77 euros), customers receive a surprise box called the “Discovery Box” at home containing a selection of four different types of preserves. There is also a cheaper option at $29.90 for three cans. Thanks to this, Americans have begun to try products such as razor clams, kokotxas, cuttlefish in its ink and cod liver.
The owner of the canned sardines company, Sendra, states that his products are not simply cheap cans to be consumed out of necessity, but offer a high quality experience in their presentation, packaging design and the sound and aroma when opened. In addition, they have also launched special themed boxes such as the popular Sardine Lovers Box, which is the most demanded by customers.
During the boom in online shopping and the obsession with cooking at home due to the pandemic, the partners of Lata.Shop invested $5,000 to launch their website in November 2021. The co-founder says they were lucky to launch their business during that opportune time.
Initially, the entrepreneurs thought that their target audience was Spanish, Italian and Portuguese residents in the country who were used to eating canned food. However, they quickly realized that there was also a large number of local customers with good purchasing power, culinary culture and a desire to try new flavors.
Also noteworthy was the interest shown by Asians in canned foods, demonstrating that their palate is accustomed to and not afraid to try new foods. Considering that its potential market is 340 million inhabitants, equivalent to that of Europe, it was necessary to promote the business in this region.
Here, influencers who are dedicated to promoting canned goods made a big impact. Accounts such as Mei Liao in San Francisco, Lily Lei in Hawaii and The Sardine Influencer in Los Angeles provide recommendations on how to enjoy canned seafood. This strategy has brought them sales and a loyal following, Sendra says.
The Lata boxes exclusively offer a variety of fish and seafood from Spanish canneries such as Solano Arriola from Santoña, Herpac from Barbate or La Narval from Cambados. In addition, Portuguese brands such as Açor, Nazarena and Nuri are also available, which are in great demand for their star product: sardines.
The four friends have decided to establish their business and are now importing directly to avoid relying on large distributors that do not offer the quality of products the group is looking for. Although getting FDA (Food and Drug Administration) permits to bring food into the United States has been a difficult task, they have finally succeeded in obtaining them.
One of the pioneers in canning traditional recipes such as sofrito de ventresca from the Cabañal neighborhood is Rafael Viguer, owner of the canning stall in Valencia’s Central Market. Its Samare brand has four recipes and plans to launch four more this summer. Sendra, co-founder, hopes that these typical delicacies will soon be enjoyed by New Yorkers.
Sendra jokingly comments that they started working on this idea in Nacho’s kitchen instead of a garage as Apple did in its early days. However, they are not moving away from their original dream and plan to open the Lata Taberna in New York soon.
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