LISA Olson is American, but as her husband and business partner Umberto Vizcaino says, she is Spanish in her soul. So much so that the couple set up Solymer a couple of years ago with the sole intention of spreading the culture of Spain here. She believes Solymer is the first company in Singapore that is totally dedicated to Spanish products. It acts as a wholesaler that imports food and wine and sells them through retail outlets or food distributors such as Indoguna and some supermarkets.
'We were living in the US and started Solymer there to import Spanish wine,' says Ms Olson. 'There were already many importers of Spanish food products, so it's not difficult to get them in the US. We concentrated on wine and built up relationships with 25 wineries in Spain.
'Then we had the opportunity to move to Asia and came to Singapore three years ago as we were in the IT business as well. When we moved here we realised that there was an opportunity to revive the Solymer concept. The difference is that there really aren't any Spanish food products here to speak of, so to be a company that can fully represent Spain, we have to bring in food as well as wine.'
Solymer is the agent for Embutidos Fermin, the Spanish ham producer approved to sell in Singapore. It also brings in olive oil, bottled peppers and asparagus, olives, rice, cheese, almonds and the like, although the range is still limited.
'People are very curious about Spain,' says Ms Olson. 'They are aware of its growth in the world of gastronomy but they still don't know much about it.'
Besides importing products, the Olsons are working on what has been a near-impossibility in the past - getting Spanish chefs to work in Singapore. 'They don't want to leave Spain, and when they do, they want to go back.' Hence, the couple are working with culinary schools in Spain on a programme that includes a six-month working stint in Singapore as part of the students' syllabus.
'We're not just talking to the schools, we are also talking to restaurants in Singapore and we've talked to the government officials with regard to visas etc, and we've got interest on all fronts,' says Ms Olson. 'We hope to have something in place by the end of this year.'
For sure, there is a ready pool of diners just waiting, if not drooling, at the thought.
This article was first published in The Business Times on July 5, 2008.
