BIG THEINTERVIEW MATTHEW MEACHAM WITH

This month we talk to Matthew Meacham, the British owner of Sa Punta restaurant in Es Castell. In a very short time, Matthew has made a big impression on the island’s food scene. He has used his expertise in designing and implementing winning strategies to develop this beautiful go-to restaurant and tapas bar. With more than 30 years of experience working with some of the world’s leading food and beverage companies, he has also focused his attention on local company Herbes Biniarbolla. Matthew has been working with Cristina Quintana to relaunch the range of liqueurs and reposition the brands of iNNat and GLOP Gin.

When did your relationship with Menorca begin?

I first came to Menorca, sailing from Barcelona, when I was just 16 years old. My wife came first when she was 7, to stay with a British aunt in Llucmacanes. Then, 22 years ago, while living in Dallas, we bought a house here and my family have grown up loving the island. I have worked for Bain & Company for most of my career, living in 8 countries around the world. Menorca became a wonderful place to escape from business and spend time with my family. We used to enjoy a quiet existence on the island, and we were very anonymous for 20 years. Unfortunately Sa Punta has changed that!

Your restaurant Sa Punta has been fully booked for the last two summers. It has become a highly popular choice for summer visitors and local residents. Has your background contributed to its success?

In 2021, I decided it was time to invest in Menorca and I looked at several options. The restaurant of the historic yacht club, Club Nautico Villa Carlos, had been recently refurbished to a very high standard by a businessman from Ciutadella. He had taken great care to modernise the interior and adapt it to current trends, while maintaining the essence of Calas Fonts. The building has the most fantastic, panoramic outlook over the entrance to the harbour, and it was available on a 20-year lease. I could see that, with the right team in place, we could turn it into a successful restaurant. We also took the decision to open all year round, and this has helped develop a loyal customer base. We have become a sought-after venue for special occasions, hosting club dinners, weddings and offering special menus to mark events such as Christmas and New Year. Our aim is to give you a special experience, offering local fresh seasonal products, beautifully presented by our chef.

In addition to Sa Punta, we opened Moll de Sa Punta underneath the main restaurant. This is a less formal tapas bar with direct access onto the quay in Calas Fonts. Historically, it was a ‘barete’ where fisherman used to meet up for breakfast on the pier after returning from fishing at dawn. We wanted to turn it back into a place where local people can meet and enjoy a drink and a snack. This year we have launched an exciting cocktail offer which we hope people will love.

Both the restaurant and Moll de Sa Punta are great places to sit and watch the yachts and boats as they sail up and the harbour.

I understand you have just finished a full audit of the sources of the food and drink used in the restaurant

We really believe in supporting local producers and have high traceability and low transportation impact of our purchases. Indeed, in 2023 to date, over two thirds of our food and drink purchased was cultivated, caught or produced on Menorca!

Tell me how you have been involved with Biniarbolla

I heard about Biniarbolla in January 2021. I met Cristina and very quickly agreed a plan to relaunch her family business, recovering, preserving and honouring Menorca brands with such terrific heritage. Her grandparents had started making Herbes for the monks in the 1930s. Her father created the SL, and Cristina took over the business in 2014. She launched the gin brands, first with iNNat, and then with GLOP. iNNat is the premium gin brand of Menorca, winning Best Gin Balearics in 2017 and achieving 92 points from Guia Penin. Cristina was doing so well until COVID hit. The market disappeared and the company ran out of cash. Hacienda came down hard on her business, forcing her to destroy all the stock. It has been such a pleasure to work with her to rebuild the business.

What is the history of the company? I hear that there are many stories and legends.

The monks at Monte Toro had a secret recipe for ‘herbal tea’ involving 16 herbs and a few grains of coffee with cold maceration from 5 weeks. Cristina’s grandfather bought alcohol to the island and his wife, the abuela picked herbs and aromatics from the finca of Binissaida de Barrancons. With the monks’ recipe, la abuela made the first Herbes.

Binissaida de Barracones is in the mouth of the port with access to the sea, and it is said that in times past, the caves below were used to smuggle in contraband from the sea. There are tales of her people dressing up as monks and nuns to transport products hidden in coffins, and many other stories.

How have you developed the brands over the last 2 years?

In 2021, we bought the brands and the equipment. We started by building a new factory on the industrial estate in Es Castell. Ironically, in this instance COVID came to our aid, and we were given help to get the permits more quickly. Then Putin invaded Ukraine and there were new problems to overcome, such as delays in bottle production.

We took the decision early on to take the products back to the original recipes and to increase the quality. Herbal liqueurs are a digestif, offered after a meal, but many people had grown accustomed to the cheaper, anise-based industrial Herbes from Mallorca. We were convinced that people would pay for a quality Menorca product with heritage.

Biniarbolla uses 16 herbs to make three types of herb liqueur: Herbes Seques (dry) Herbes Semi Doces and Herbes Doces (sweet). Rosemary, aniseed, pine, camomile, thyme, lemon and many other locally grown herbs are left to cold macerate for over 40 days to produce a refined liqueur with no additives. The herbs still come from Binissaida des Barrancons, which is close to the factory and which is part of Menorca’s Land Stewardship Programme, using regenerative agriculture. Binarbolla’s liqueurs are now served with pride as a digestif in our restaurant and we also use them as a base for cocktails such as Herbes Sour.

We also launched a limited edition of Licor de Mandarina. Macerating 200 kilos of mandarins from the family’s original “huerto”, we have created 2700 bottles, very popular with barmen on the island.

You also have two brands of Gin - iNNat and GLOP. What are the differences between the two?

I like to describe iNNat as a connoisseur’s classic with a hint of the island. It is the premium gin of the island. We macerate juniper with pine, rosemary, lemon, and a touch of red fruits and blueberries to give it a distinct flavour. We try to minimise the impact on the environment whenever possible, and our latest initiative is to re-use the bottles. At wedding events, to give one example, we can easily collect, clean and refill the bottles. Each bottle of iNNat gin is hand numbered. Each time it is re-used, the bottle is laser stamped so you will be able to see how many times it has been refilled.

The GLOP gin is more citric in taste, younger and more relaxed. It is ideal for events and parties. It has been adopted as the “house” gin in many cocktail bars across the island including BB Cocktail Bar in Binibeca, and Cova del Sol in Torret. GLOP Negro is perfect for Gin & Tonic and also makes a great Mojito. GLOP Rosé with ginger ale and a slice of grapefruit is an ideal summer cocktail, which has become quite popular at the cricket club, I understand. We have had fun with the marketing on Instagram, rebuilding a wrecked Fiat car and branding it to promote GLOP across the island.

Finally, how do you relax when you are not working? Do you still get the chance to sail?

Yes, I have a classic yacht, a West Solent One Design, called Winnie Marie, that I keep at Marina Menorca. I take part in the Vela Clasica regatta in Mahon each year at the end of August. There is one other West Solent on the island and so my main objective is to finish ahead of my rival. Haven’t done it yet…

Sa Punta at C/ Miranda de Calesfonts, 2, Es Castell, Menorca https://www.sapuntamenorca.com/ (+34) 690 85 46 71

Matthew Meacham’s career

Matthew is an Advisory partner for Bain & Company with more than 30 years of experience in the Consumer Products industry. He has focused on food & beverage and has led work with many of the world’s best-known consumer products companies.

He has been responsible for opening 5 Bain offices worldwide and he led their business in Spain and Portugal for eight years.

Matthew has also served as an Officer in the British Army, and founded and managed his own fashion company while at University.

Matthew holds an MBA from INSEAD, France. He also has an MA in jurisprudence from Oxford University.