Why a food brand can grow without betraying its values?
Inclusion

Pelayo Pérez

Founder and CEOLa Neyorkina

Why a food brand can grow without betraying its values?

8:18·30 July 2026

This article was automatically translated from its original Español version. Read the original

Pelayo Pérez is 51 years old and the founder of La Newyorkina, a brand from Asturias specializing in artisanal granola that generates several million euros in revenue and exports to various European countries.

La Newyorkina was born in 2016 from a trip to New York and from a category that practically did not exist in Spain. Unlike many food brands that outsource production, their granolas are made in their own workshops in Oviedo, with a team of 36 people. In a sector where everything seems to be either indulgence or gym, Pérez chose another path: a product without pretensions, designed for normal people, with a brand identity developed from day one. "The image is the first thing people see," explains the founder.

Convincing supermarkets was the hardest part: first, it was necessary to create demand through hotels and franchises, and wait for the shelves to open up. The biggest challenge in scaling was not the product but the cash flow: when a company grows quickly, banks rarely keep pace. But Pérez is proud to have grown consistently: "We have not contributed to polarizing the food world. We wanted to be a more genuine brand, more natural, more for normal people."

María Díaz Valderrama
impact.info journalist
Published on 30 July 2026
Photo credit — La Neyorkina