The evenings we spend in the kitchen in front of a fireplace. Bubi, another guest staying at the place - and since 4 years only eating raw-food - is telling us about his experience. I am amazed by a raw-food bread he was producing in an former stable, outside the house. We were visionaring of how we develop a huge business out of it.
Sarah started doing raw-food, Aliwalu as well - and so me. We got inspired by it and started spending more and more time with discovering the endless possibilities of preparing super-good looking and extremely well tasting dishes using mostly the produts of local organic farmers...
On the 6th of January Aliwalu and Sarah invited to a meeting, outside the house, up the hill in front of a tippi, which was built up there. Great views about the wally - and the sea. After a beautiful introduction speech of Aliwalu we discussed future possibilities and we all agreed on to start a business togehter. Aliwalu told us about a nice venue in Santa Gertrudis, which might be the right place for production and sales. Spontanously we jumped in the car - and drove there right away.
When we saw the building the first time we all felt excitited: yes - this is it! Only from seeing it from the outside we were convinced to rent it! It was the a Sunday, the 6th of January - a holy day. Aliwalu went around the house, stayed away for 15 minutes and came back with a bright smile in her face - than she said: we have it!
We started to plan the rawvolution. On one hand side we wanted to set up a big scale production of raw-bread. We had absolutly no doubt that the world is waiting for it. But not only a bread production, also raw-chocolate, pesto and pickles. All this to be market wholesale - but also sold in the venue in Santa Gertrudis.
To do so, the idea was to ad a kind of café/restaurant/store...lets say deli, to promote and celebrate the "raw" lifestyle.
Aliwalu came up with the concept of financing: The four of us, plus friends we considered to be in, each come up with 52.000€. Besides us we counted in my friend Reza and Aliwalus friend Veronica. B.U.B.I. wanted to get his part from one of his friends.
Unfortunatly this didn't worked out. Reza, when he arrived from London, made up his mind and decided not to be part of the start up. Veronica, after she arrived from India, neither joined in.
We allready signed the contract for renting the building, started employing people, and got the whole thing running.
At this time it start getting complicated. The group dynamic struggled.
Facing the reality of not having enough money to set up things how we dreamed about, we had a lot of discussions, how to go on.
Things start falling apart. The innocence of our idealism clashed with business reality. On the way we experienced that at one hand side we were sharing a great vision, but on the other hand side we had different opinions how to get there...
At some point we started dividing the "production" from the "restaurant". B.U.B.I and me where thinking of setting up the production and on the other hand site Sarah, Aliwalu and wanted to do the restaurant together. First all in the same place, than in two different places, than again in the same place.
Time is rushing, months have passed by - and still we didn't know how to proceed. We allready somehow opened, first events were going on, media attention,...but still a lot of things to do. Permission, construction, concept, marketing, equipment, products,...
It got really crazy - and at some point B.U.B.I. decided to go his own way, and also Aliwalu didn't know how she should go on.
It all break up, but for Sarah and me the point of no return was overflown. To much passion - but also to much money we allready invested into this project - and as we just moved to Eivissa we considered this project the base for our future.
So we kept on going.
There is a saying in Ibiza, a life-philosophy: poc a poc (bit for bit) - and that is the way we are going on to build up the place...
Life goes on.
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