08/25/2026
"Meet the Founder Behind Khayyan Specialty Foods"
Before there was "Khayyan Specialty Foods", there was an idea.
An idea shaped by New York, Spain, travel, food, and relationships.
My name is Natalia Cabrera, and before founding Khayyan in 2013, my career was in finance in New York for over 25 years.
That experience taught me how business moves across borders. But my connection to Spain, and the extraordinary foods and producers I encountered there, showed me something more personal.
I saw exceptional products made by people who cared deeply about their craft. Olive growers, family producers, artisans, and farmers whose products had a story, a place, and generations of knowledge behind them.
And I saw an opportunity to bring those products closer to the American culinary world.
"That became Khayyan."
It began with a passion for exceptional Spanish extra virgin olive oil under my brand Olivar Santamaria, but my vision was about more than importing products.
I wanted to build a bridge
A bridge between European producers and American chefs. Between tradition and innovation. Between the people who create extraordinary ingredients and the people who transform them into extraordinary food.
Over the years, many of the professional relationships I’ve built have become friendships, and they remain one of the most meaningful parts of building Khayyan.
Today, what makes me proudest is what Khayyan represents:
Quality. Innovation. Service. Relationships.
And above all, trust.
Behind every product we represent is a producer.
Behind every producer is a story.
And behind Khayyan is a journey that began with a simple belief:
Exceptional food deserves to be discovered, shared, and brought to the right table.
This is my story. And it is also the beginning of the Khayyan story.
