There’s dulce de leche in the air and a host of Argentinian cakes, alfajores and other desserts on offer just two streets from Barcelona’s Passeig de Gràcia. Serving them is Argentinian businesswoman, chef, pastry chef and TV presenter Maru Botana, who at the tender age of 12 started selling the sweet treats her friends, relatives and neighbours asked her to make. Driven by her entrepreneurial spirit and passion for baking, she opened her first patisserie in 1993. She now owns seven, including one in Barcelona. With Santander by her side, giving her with the advice and funds she needed to expand to Europe, Maru’s newest haunt has become a sweet spot for lovers of Argentinian treats.

Fútbol Emotion has gone from humble beginnings to Spain’s number one sports retailer. Like Google, it started out as a website launched in a small garage. But it didn’t long for the Sánchez Broto brothers to spot an opportunity to sell online, when e-commerce was almost unheard-of in Spain. Entrepreneurs, visionaries and winners of the Chamber of Commerce and Banco Santander award for SME of the Year for Zaragoza.

Wild bluefin tuna from the coast of Cadiz is considered a delicacy. And it’s not just for its excellent quality, but also for the way it’s fished: an unorthodox, eco-friendly technique as old as the Phoenicians, but tweaked by JC Mackintosh. That’s why Banco Santander has named JC Mackintosh “SME of the year” for Cadiz.

On the banks of the River Minho, just a few kilometres from the city of Ourense, lies the vineyard Ramón do Casar, winner of the 2022 award for "Wine of the Year", given by Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fishing and Food Supply. Ramón do Casar is a traditional family business that goes back several decades. It produces the best Ribeiro wine in Spain, thanks to the tireless endeavours of three brothers. These devout believers in both their homeland and sustainability have always had the support of Banco Santander. Today, the bank continues to provide Ramón do Casar with financing and advice for its plans to grow and expand beyond Spain.

On Finca Badenes between the villages of Jabalquinto and Mengíbar, the family-run olive oil producer and exporter, Aires de Jaén, has been going from strength to strength, with its “liquid gold” selling the world over. A family legacy and Santander’s financing and advice have played a big part.

Patricia Aramburu and Yago Barreiro, and their children Celia and Hugo, were among some 800 volunteers with the Santander Natura initiative, which involves employees and their families in environmental conservation projects in Spain, such as the clean-up of the Bastiagueiro beach in the city of A Coruña.

Pradoluengo, a village of 1,200 people in the province of Burgos, is where you’ll find Calcetines Mingo, an innovative, family-owned business steeped in history. With José Manuel Mingo at the helm, it recently began developing a line of socks woven from threads made of recycled plastic from the sea. Its work has earned it the award for “SME of the Year” in Spain's Burgos province.

Burgos Prison inmates José Alberto, Cándido and Ángel discover all that online banking has to offer, thanks to the Finanzas para Mortales-Justicia Educativa (“Finance for Mortals/Educational Justice”) programme. It teaches basic finance so students can make better decisions for a brighter future.

María del Mar Ramírez is a postwoman in rural Spain. Every day, she covers 70-80 km to deliver mail in Iznájar, Córdoba, home to some 4,000 people. Through Correos Cash, a rural cash service run by Correos (Spain’s postal service) and Santander, María del Mar takes a cash withdrawal to Salvador, a local farmer.