BUSINESS HIPPIES

In our series ‘People for Ibiza’ we present our first entry, Sina and Rafael Engel.

They are the. . . BUSINESS HIPPIES.

‘Good food needs no show only unforgettable taste and a little magic.‘ says Sina Engel with a relaxed smile in her face. Talking about her passion “food” that seems to be her favorite thing it is easy to understand her new business named “Sina Engel Catering” that was launched successfully beginning of 2012. While sitting in her beautiful working space, she tells me “her story” of making a living in Ibiza. Or what she calls a “magic.happy.good.life.”

Which is when things are not planned they become best. Coming to enjoy her holiday in 2009, she fell in love with the host of her holiday apartment. Just a detail that today seems normal for both of them but still is funny: They come from the same town – and had never met before that summer. Shortly after that, Sina decided to move to Ibiza. With several completed studies in Germany, Ibiza gave her creative mind the chance to reveal the true potential she has. As cooking was one of her biggest passions in life, she converted this passion into a profession. It was Rafael, today her husband, formerly her host, who enlisted her secretly in a popular German TV show ‘Das perfekte dinner’ – the perfect diner. When the invitation came in, Sina was highly motivated; even though she felt a bit nervous she finally accepted and won the challenge.

‘There is no big secret behind it, I use local natural ingredients and put all my effort in combining them with love and dedication.’

Rafael, co-founder of Klixx in San Rafael is another example of unplanned steps that lead in the right direction. Putting together, a road trip to Portugal without ever reaching the destination with his best friend Oliver and their skills, effort & long history is the result is what Klixx is today: A successful agency for web & graphic design with an international clientele. 10 years later – Oliver is back in Germany now and Rafael still in Ibiza – thanks to today´s technology Klixx works with a creative team in Ibiza inspired by the sun and nature and an engineering team in Wiesbaden, Germany, fully dedicated to the programming of high end & state of the art websites.

‘Sometimes when i sit in our office enjoying the incredible views, i can’t even believe that this is a so called “office”. For almost 10 years i actually enjoy coming to work’ says Rafael with a smile. Their big space inspired them to give other creatives, promotors and smaller companies an area where they to synergize their creativity. They brought the idea of co-working spaces to the island of Ibiza, a common thing in bigger cities. It is now a place with a creative atmosphere offering rental working spaces.

Without expecting it Sina and Rafael’s life seems to have become a dream come true. It developed naturally and Sina gave birth to their daughter Noomi. She states ‘I always wanted to live by the sea with my husband, form a family, have a dog and drive a 4×4.’ As simple as this, both really deserve what they got because it is the fruit of their hard work and dedication. Ibiza is their happy place.

Talking about Ibiza we come to the point where we all agree that, with the financial crash threatening us, we really have a very good chance to convert it into a microcosm where people can live together and share the island’s richness in resources as there is enough for all of us. Rafael believes that at this point there is no VIP, just us, all together on the world’s most beautiful island.’

And so do we.