Since I was little I had my goals very clear, and although my ID says that I was born in Madrid, my free spirit led me to travel and live in many incredible places here and there, places of spectacular underwater beauty. Lover of the sea since adolescence, I studied Environmental Sciences in Madrid and then specialized in Aquaculture in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. At 18 I started diving and since then my passion for the sea, fish, seaweed and other multicolored beings has only grown.
After more than 20 years diving in the world of aquaculture, fisheries, marine reserves and having worked at public and private companies, this new adventure is born, a business project in which we put all the experience acquired, the enthusiasm, energy and professionalism it deserves. And why seaweeds? The truth is that they always fascinated me. When I saw those long and large leaves on the beaches, I would ask myself, “and can this be eaten?”
As a result of a project on the effect of aquaculture on climate change, I discovered more things about them and they became more and more interesting to me because of the innumerable applications and functions they have: ability to reduce CO2, prevent diseases, as powerful fertilizers, cosmetic industry and even algae textiles or plastic substitute molecules are made, in addition to many other applications that are yet to be discovered.
I enjoy each of the phases of the value chain: from going to the beach to see the state of the seaweeds, getting in the water to harvest and choose the best leaves, eat them directly from the water, until their transformation, passing by taking multitude of crucial decisions such as the type of packaging or the label. But the reward comes when the final consumer takes the product home, tastes it, cooks it and repeats. Without a doubt, this is the most rewarding moment of all, the one that really validates all our work, effort, enthusiasm and energy.
La Patrona enhances the feminine figure of the sea, which is especially important in Galicia, represented in the patron saints, the shellfish and canneries. In this project, women play a fundamental role by embodying that philosophy in the logo that evokes a rudder managed by a woman working in the fishing industry.
For me the important thing was always knowing how to enjoy all those little things and decisions that give meaning to our life.
Cristina García
