La Pepa Chuches, a candy store in Vila-seca, made the leap to the internet during the pandemic after the mandatory closure of businesses and has ended up turning that path into one of the bases of its growth. The business, which presents itself with the motto "Your neighborhood candy store, now online", today has a community of more than half a million followers on social media and distributes orders throughout Europe.
The brand opened profiles on social media to publicize its virtual store and began to publish videos in which it presented its products. At the forefront of that strategy is Nil Cebrián, visible face of the business and responsible for social media. As he explains, one of the moments that marked the takeoff of the company was a video focused on licorice.
"Sometimes, the simplest things are what people like the most" - Nil Cebrián, La Pepa Chuches
That content accumulates 5.2 million views. On TikTok, the company's publications have reached 17.8 million "likes".
From the neighborhood store to orders across Europe
La Pepa Chuches maintains its local presence in Vila-seca, where its in-person clientele remains very linked to the immediate surroundings. Cebrián points out that purchases in the physical store are made mainly by children, a circumstance linked to its location next to a park, while the majority profile of its followers on social media is adult.
"It's true that in the Vila-seca store mostly children buy from us, because we are next to a park, but our follower profile on social media is mainly adult" - Nil Cebrián, La Pepa Chuches
The online store offers a catalog of more than 800 products. Among them are candies in the shape of avocado and eggplant that they receive from a supplier in Italy. The company processes shipments from a single candy to entire boxes.
The orders arrive from all corners of Spain and also from different points of Europe. Germany and France stand out among the most common destinations.
"We receive many orders for sunflower seeds and nuts that they don't find there. People who know us because one of our videos appears to them, enter the store and end up placing an order" - Nil Cebrián, La Pepa Chuches
The online operation now concentrates in Reus
Two years ago, the company opened a second store in Reus. That establishment currently centralizes all online operations, a structure with which they manage the volume of orders linked to the brand's growth online.
The opening in the capital of Baix Camp had a strong following among its digital community. At the inauguration, a queue of hours of followers formed who were waiting to enter.
A constant exposure on networks
The visibility that La Pepa Chuches has gained has also brought a permanent exposure to user comments. Cebrián assures that he assumes that part of the daily activity and distinguishes between criticisms without scope and useful contributions to correct errors.
"It's impossible to avoid bad comments. I have very much accepted that, whatever I do, they are going to criticize me. If they are constructive comments, it is appreciated and I always try to improve things" - Nil Cebrián, La Pepa Chuches
With that combination of physical store, digital showcase and logistics from Reus, the business has consolidated a model that started in the midst of the pandemic and that today sustains sales inside and outside of Spain.