How to build loyalty in an expat community? Mantequería Lasierra has the formula.

The history of a city's shops is also the history of its signs. And the history of its signs is also the history of the times when they were labeled and hung on the facade. And the history of when they were hung on the facade is the history of when they couldn't be labeled in Catalan. This succession of causal chains is enough to begin the story of Mantequería Lasierra, which has been operating since 1953 on the corner of Rosselló and Aribau streets in Barcelona's Eixample district. The mantequería is that business, halfway between a delicatessen and a grocery store, that is neither one nor the other. It isn't the former because it doesn't produce pork products, nor the latter because it only sells food products. "They were the stores that had the products of the pork fat", both Ramon Lasierra, father and son, tell me.

Today, it's the son who has been running the business since 2017, but the father still visits often, greets customers, and oversees the scene. He doesn't know how to be. They are the second and third generations. The first, also Ramon Lasierra, founded the business many years ago. Batalla, on Rambla de Catalunya between Provenza and Mallorca, and then in La Riojana, in the Gracia gardens. He would have liked to be able to sign his business in Catalan, but in the early 1950s that was, to put it mildly, unfeasible. Over time, they admit that they could have changed the sign, but they opted to maintain the testimony of time and also the historical value of the original signage to have the opportunity," exclaims Ramón Jr. "If we had to pay rent today, the business would not be viable," they acknowledge. They also often recall how visionary the founder was in choosing—during the supermarket boom—to ultra-specialize the business in quality, local food products. The trusted values of the—are the trusted values of the canning establishment. "And personalized service," emphasizes Ramón Sr. And they give examples.

Ramón Sr. opted to incorporate a wide selection of wines into the store's stock. All of them are well-referenced, with the designation of origin, grape varieties, and the house brand recommendation. Ramón Jr. has followed the same path with cava. "Wine and cava are history, culture, geography, territory, and tradition," he says. The house's main customers are the locals, but increasingly, the inclusion of foreigners living in Barcelona has gained prominence. The so-called expats"We've managed to build their loyalty well, because they value personalized service and good products," he says. Does everyone who enters the store understand that quality comes at a price? "We don't sell to elites, but to the people of the neighborhood. We have a store, not a museum."

Selection of wines and cavas

Just take a look at the line of wines they have right in front of the main refrigerator. Prices range from 4.5 to 8.5 euros. "We also have slightly more exclusive products, but they're not our strong suit." "We love our work so much that we're completely against the elitism of gastronomy and cooking." They can't count the number of times tourists and expats They were amazed by the affordable prices of quality wine in our country: "They can't believe they can buy such a good wine for just 8 euros."

And an unforgettable memory to finish. Ramón Sr. remembers when he was a child and a representative of the ill-fated "tax prosecutor's office". "These cans of preserves do not have the price marked", said the official. "It's just that they have just bequeathed to us and we haven't had time."He would reply. A fine, if he was lucky, and closure of the business, if the regime's representative had a bad temper. Memories of the past, thankfully.