Behind The Board: A Journey from a Hobby to a Business

by Jennifer Ellis Murray

Founder of The Board Barcelona

The story of The Board Barcelona began in 2019 as a simple passion project and a fun hobby, born out of my love for hosting gatherings and bringing friends together around the table. I had lived in Barcelona for 5 years and had fallen in love with local products, making friends and building relationships with local market stall owners and workers.

Back then, grazing boards were just starting to become a trend in the U.S., where I’m originally from. My international friends were always impressed when I served them this unique style of cheese and charcuterie arrangement. I often joked with my now-husband about my dream of leaving the education world as a primary school teacher and owning a wine and cheese business.

That dream began to take shape over Thanksgiving in 2019. I created the Instagram account The Board Barcelona on a whim to document my journey into the art of crafting grazing boards. The name was simply and came naturally—I liked the alliteration of the B sound in “The Board Barcelona.” By calling it “The BOARD,” I didn’t limit myself to just one type of cheese and charcuterie board; it could be anything creatively styled and served on a wooden board.

On the day before our Thanksgiving dinner, I made a quick trip to Natura Casa and splurged on a few beautiful wooden serving boards. I quickly snapped a few photos of the empty boards, made my first Instagram post, and The Board Barcelona was officially launched. The following morning, I headed to our local market, gathered the finest ingredients, and crafted my first “official” Grazing Board under the brand name. And just like that, The Board Barcelona was born.

We all know what happened in 2019… while in confinement, we ate way, WAY too much cheese & charcuterie. I spent time practicing the art of charcuterie board styling and documenting everything online. We gained a small following and built a little Board community!

A few months later Melissa, the founder of Salut Wine Studio, came into the picture. A mutual friend introduced us, and Melissa became an invaluable mentor. Her encouragement, kindness, and support were instrumental in my journey. After confinement ended, she invited me to create grazing boards for events at Salut Wine Studio, which quickly became a hit.

As interest in our boards grew, I faced a crossroads. I knew that it wasn’t the right time to start a business since balancing my day job as a teacher at an international primary school while starting and running a start-up would be impossible. I decided to pause posting photos of my hobby on the Instagram account for The Board Barcelona for a while to wrap up the school year and think about what to do next.

During this break, my boyfriend and I got married, adopted a dog, traveled, and spent quality time with our families. But the dream of The Board never faded, and our Instagram followers were relentless in their support—they simply wouldn’t let “The Board” die.

The journey of The Board Barcelona was just beginning. Stay tuned for Part 2, where I’ll share how we took the next steps to grow from a passion project into a thriving business!