How these Aussie entrepreneurs are conquering Barcelona

While the Catalonian capital is famous for its Gaudi architecture, laid-back beach vibes, and tapas – it’s also proving to be a powerful magnet for a new wave of Australian entrepreneurs flexing their business prowess.

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?

From DJ in London to Spain soda baron

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.

Caravelle, a cafe and soda brewery, is the brainchild of Zim Sutton. Picture: Supplied

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

“We moved to Barcelona for six months,” he told realcommercial.com.au. “We ended up staying because we loved the lifestyle and sunshine so much.”

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 “very much an oddity,” being one of the first to serve specialty coffee and serving food that was “so different from what the locals would eat”.

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.

“Luckily brunch was just becoming a big thing here, so we were super busy,” he recalled. “But it wasn’t 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.”

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.

Some of the sodas on offer through Caravelle. Picture: Supplied

Now aged 53, and 13 years on from making the move, the business owner has no regrets.

“Admittedly the first few years were tough, but we love living here  and we love creating a welcoming space for both locals and visitors from all around the world — that’s what’s really important to us,” Mr Sutton said.

Caravelle has since expanded through Spain and will launch in other locations across Europe in 2026.

A hint of luxury

Melbourne-born Adam Schwab’s background as a corporate lawyer quickly gave way to entrepreneurship, leading to the creation of Luxury Escapes — one of the fastest-growing travel companies in the world.

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.

“We looked at virtually every country in Europe and narrowed our shortlist to England, Spain, Netherlands and Portugal,” Mr Schwab said. “While 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.”

Luxury Escapes’ office in Barcelona. Picture: Supplied

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.

“We have a very experienced legal, and people and culture team who were able to navigate through the laws and regulations in Spain,” Mr Schwab said. “Culturally, we have run a global business for a decade, and we sell a global product in travel, so we’ve found the expansion largely seamless so far.”

Reflecting on the decision to open in the Catalan capital, Mr Schwab states that it has been “far better than we expected.”

“Europe is our number one growth market and a driver of our continued global scale,” he said.

From broadcast to Barcelona

Chelsea Anthon spent years climbing the media ladder to forge high-profile positions across radio and TV.

“I 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,” the Sydney native said.

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.

Chelsea Anton’s passion for sherry led her to create Chelsea & Collaborators, a drinks-focused digital marketing agency. Picture: Supplied

Showcasing her digital know-how, the entrepreneur went on to create an agency that could give traditional drinks brands – her passion being sherry, in particular – a fresh, global voice.

“It really opened my eyes,” she explained. “I built a team and then I officially launched Chelsea & Collaborators Digital Agency in March 2021.”

“Professionally, Barcelona made perfect sense,” she said. “It’s a vibrant creative hub, close to some of the world’s most historic wine regions, and full of international energy. It became the right place to build something global.”

However, setting up as a foreigner came with challenges, noting the complex tax systems and the “huge amount of paperwork” that required hiring experts.

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:

“If anything, I would’ve sought support earlier, whether legal, financial, or even just community,  instead of trying to figure everything out myself,” the 50-year-old said.

Counselling in Catalonia

Brisbane-born psychologist Leigh Matthews had a flourishing private practice and an established academic role in Australia before a love story prompted the “terrifying but exhilarating decision” to move to Barcelona in 2011.

“I moved to Barcelona after meeting my husband, who is Catalan,” she explained.

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

“I hit the cultural iceberg and saw how quickly isolation can take hold when you’re far from home,” Mrs Matthews said.

“The expansion to launch my own business came later, when the demand for therapy in English completely outstripped what I could offer.”

Leigh Matthews (right) moved from Brisbane to Barcelona in 2011 to establish English-speaking counselling service Therapy in Barcelona. Picture: Supplied

This led to Therapy in Barcelona becoming a leading provider of multilingual therapy for internationals in Spain.

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.

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

“It has been tough but deeply rewarding. However, looking back, I would invest in admin and intake support much earlier — trying to do everything myself nearly broke me,” she said. “And I would seek mentoring sooner. People management and leadership is an art no one teaches you in psychology school.”

Looking to the future, the entrepreneur is focused on innovation and different ways to access therapy.

“We are preparing to expand through Online Therapy Europe, a bespoke platform offering culturally sensitive, English-speaking therapy across the European continent,” Mrs Matthews said. “I 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.”