Member Article

New venture just the right tonic for Spanish entrepreneurs crafting North East success story

Owners of popular North East Spanish hospitality venues have launched Importonics, an online tonic retail business which hopes to tap into the ever-growing gin market.

The recently-launched e-commerce company, launched by Claire Elwell and Toni Almiron, along with business partner Joan Targas from Spanish Fine Foods, stocks a wide range of premium tonics, including diverse flavours such as cucumber, liquorice and tangerine.

Claire and Toni, whose Dacantus and recently-opened The Continental venues in Newcastle stock hundreds of gins, supply to many bars and restaurants across the city, as well as across the wider North East and UK.

Also owning tapas restaurants El Torero in Newcastle and El Coto in Newcastle and Durham, the couple hope to mirror Spain’s popular culture of drinking gin with flavoured mixers here in the region.

Since its launch three months ago, Importonics – which sells mixers, gin glasses and botanical sprays through importonics.co.uk – has already seen strong interest from across the UK.

While renowned in the region for their Spanish-themed food and traditional atmosphere, Claire and Toni are also building a reputation as gin specialists.

Dacantus, on Grey Street, has a collection of over 300 gins, but their latest venue - The Continental restaurant and bar on Collingwood Street, which has seen an investment of over £150k to open - stocks over 500 different varieties. Both venues share a gin expert general manager, Shaun Stewart.

Claire revealed: “The G&T revolution happened about 15 years ago in Spain, so it’s nothing new to have gin with a flavoured tonic there, but here in the UK it is still very different.

“There are a few very established brands in producing tonics, but not a huge amount of variety. That is why we wanted to introduce flavoured tonics, and those sourced from around the world, to a wider audience in the UK.

“Even using our own venues as an example, it is proving very popular to have a flavoured G&T and to use a coloured mixer. Through our online shop, popularity is definitely growing, and we have venues in Newcastle and other places across the UK now introducing them.”

Sarah Smith, head of licensing at Sintons, is the long-standing legal advisor to Claire and Toni, and recently licensed The Continental.

“Claire and Toni are well known in Newcastle for their authentic Spanish venues, so Importonics is something different yet complementary to their existing portfolio.

“After popularising the Spanish way of dining in the city, they are now helping to redefine the traditional G&T through their addition of coloured and flavoured gins and mixers,” she said.