Spain Food Sherpas

What Spain Food Sherpas does

Spain Food Sherpas (legal entity: Malaga Gastronomia y Desarrollo SL) is a privately-held Spanish experiential tourism operator founded in 2013 and headquartered in Malaga. The company designs and delivers guided culinary experiences—predominantly food tours and cooking classes—across five Spanish cities: Malaga, Seville, Granada, Madrid, and Cordoba. Core products include progressive tapas and wine tastings at locally-owned establishments, paella and tapas cooking workshops (often incorporating market visits), flamenco-and-tapas combination tours, wine tasting experiences, private tours, cocktail masterclasses, and day excursions to Ronda. Since founding the company states it has guided over 200,000 travelers.

The business operates on a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model. Customers book and pay online through a Bookeo-powered scheduling system integrated with Stripe payments; alternative booking channels include hotel reception desks, on-site payment to guides, and a travel agent affiliate program. Pricing is unit-based in euros, with standard food tours ranging from €67–€105 and cooking classes from €45–€75, plus private and corporate packages. The customer base is dominated by individual international tourists (served via four-language websites in English, German, Spanish, and French), supplemented by corporate groups using food experiences for team-building and a smaller B2B affiliate channel. The company is founder-led by Pablo, employs 7 people, and relies on a network of locally-based guides rather than a large internal operations team.

Name

Spain Food Sherpas

Legal name

Malaga Gastronomia y Desarrollo SL

Website

https://spainfoodsherpas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Spain Food Sherpas is a Malaga-based culinary tourism operator founded in 2013 that runs guided food tours and cooking classes across five Spanish cities, serving international leisure travelers, corporate groups, and travel agents with direct online booking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Culinary Tourism / Food Tour Services

NAICS

Special Food Services (7223), Food Services and Drinking Places (722)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Market & Culinary Culture Tours (THAJAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Culinary & Wine Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAJ), Culinary Walking & Market Tours (THAJAGAA), Restaurant Progressive Dining Tours (THAJAGAB), Farm-to-Table & Agritourism Dining Experiences (Farm Visits, Harvest Meals) (THAJAGAK)

Keywords

• Guided food tours
• Culinary tourism
• Cooking classes
• Gastronomic experiences
• Spanish tapas tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Malaga

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Food Tour Tickets: Individual and group tickets for guided food tours across multiple Spanish cities including Malaga, Seville, Granada, Madrid, and Cordoba. Tours range from 3-4 hours with food and drink included.
2. Cooking Classes: Paella cooking classes, tapas cooking classes, cocktail classes, and private cooking experiences in Malaga. Market visits included in some classes.
3. Gift Vouchers: Gift vouchers available for all tours and cooking classes, sold as presents for food experiences.
4. Corporate/Group Activities: Team building events, corporate activities, and custom tours for larger groups with special pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Spain Food Sherpas designs and operates guided culinary tourism experiences in Spain, including progressive food and wine tours in Malaga, Seville, Granada, Madrid, and Cordoba, as well as hands-on paella, tapas, and cocktail cooking classes in Malaga. Each experience is led by a local "Sherpa" guide who leads small groups to family-run tapas bars, local markets, and partner establishments, with food and drink typically included in the ticket price.

Product overview

Spain Food Sherpas operates a portfolio of guided culinary experiences across Spain, comprising food tours, cooking classes, and specialized gastronomic activities. The core offering consists of guided food tours in five cities (Malaga, Seville, Granada, Madrid, and Cordoba) featuring progressive tastings at locally-loved establishments, complemented by cooking workshops teaching traditional Spanish dishes such as paella and tapas. Additional offerings include flamenco and tapas combination tours, wine tasting experiences, private tours, market visits, cocktail classes, and day excursions to Ronda. The company also operates B2B channels including corporate team-building activities and a travel agent affiliate program. Gift vouchers are available for all experiences. The company was founded in 2013 and has guided over 200,000 travelers. All tours are conducted in English by passionate local Food Sherpas guides.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Tours in Malaga
• Food Tours in Seville
• Food Tours in Granada
• Food Tours in Madrid
• Food Tours in Cordoba
• Paella Cooking Class in Malaga
• Tapas Cooking Classes in Malaga
• Private Cooking Classes in Malaga
• Flamenco and Tapas Tours
• Wine Tasting Tours
• Cocktail Classes in Malaga
• Ronda Wine and Gastro Tour
• Corporate and Team-Building Activities
• Gift Vouchers
• Travel Agent Affiliate Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 200,000+ travelers guided since 2013

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BookeocoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline booking platform used for scheduling all tours and cooking classes. Handles availability, reservations, and customer booking management.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationPCI-compliant payment processor for secure credit card transactions. Certified to PCI Service Provider Level 1 for secure payment processing.
• Official Tourism InstitutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with official tourism institutions as shown in institutional logos on Spanish site
• Local Restaurants and Tapas BarscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive partnerships with family-run tapas bars, local taverns, and market vendors for authentic local dining experiences
• Market VendorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreat friendships and exclusive partnerships with market vendors at Atarazanas and other local markets

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Withlocals: Broader marketplace offering food tours, cooking classes, and local experiences across Spain. Less specialized than Spain Food Sherpas but captures overlapping demand through a wider portfolio of experience categories.
• Airbnb Experiences: Massive platform hosting thousands of culinary experiences including food tours and cooking classes globally, including competing offerings in Spain. Not specialized but a significant distribution channel and competitive substitute.
• Viator: TripAdvisor-owned experiences marketplace listing food tours and cooking classes across Spanish destinations. Overlapping distribution and competitive supply.
• GetYourGuide: Major OTA for tours, attractions, and experiences; lists competing Spain food tours across the same cities. Functions as both a distribution channel and a competitive substitute.

Direct peers

• Eating Europe: Direct competitor in culinary walking tours across European cities with similar small-group, locally-guided model. Targets the same experiential-traveler segment with comparable pricing.
• Secret Food Tours: Direct peer offering guided food tours across multiple European cities including Spain, with comparable tour duration (3-4 hours), pricing tiers, and progressive-tasting format. Competes for the same tourist culinary-experience customer.
• Devour Tours: Direct competitor running guided food tours across Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Malaga, Granada) with similar culinary-tourism positioning, small-group formats, and local guide network. Operates in the same cities with overlapping tour concepts.

Emerging players

• Tours by Locals: Private-guided tour platform operating in Spain with culinary-themed offerings. Less specialized in food but competes for the same experiential-tourist customer seeking local guides.
• Cookly: Cooking-class marketplace with significant presence in Spain including Malaga and Barcelona. Direct overlap with Spain Food Sherpas' cooking-class revenue stream.

Regional players

• Tapas Tapas & More (Culinary Tourism brands in Andalusia): Regional Andalusia-focused culinary tour operators offering overlapping Malaga/Granada/Seville food tour products. Less brand recognition but competes for the same regional tourist demand.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spain-food-sherpas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Spain Food Sherpas