Ryan Galea – HORECA Publisher

As HORECA publisher and founder, Ryan Galea has combined his passion for hospitality with his natural flair for all things entrepreneurial. Here he chats to Jo Caruana about his love for the sector and his plans for the future of this publication.

Ryan, let’s start with your background and expertise. Where did you get started?

I come from a family-based retail background, which has successfully run the Surplus & Adventure stores for around 20 years. The latest project in the pipeline is The Adventure Hub, the first corporate adventure park in Malta, of which I have been appointed CEO. The park will incorporate a number of activities including paintball and lasertag, zipline, obstacle course, together with camping areas, catering facilities and much more. It’s been seven years in the making and I am looking forward to launching the project in the coming months.

On a personal level, I have been involved for more than a decade. with Innovative Solutions, which sells customised menus and displays to the Hospitality sector. Moreover I used to own a distribution company which was very successful for over 20 years. That has now given way to other projects such as the upcoming Adventure Hub. As you can see, I love variety and developing new things!

What inspired you to start HORECA?

It was a logical step forward for me, having been already involved in the Hospitality world. I believe I understand our target market, which enables us to create the content that the industry needs right now. The result is very specialised, which is exactly what the sector requires. It is crucial that, through our distribution network, we know exactly who is receiving the magazine, where they work, and what their job role is.

Our reader database, who each receive a hand delivered copy, are the key decision makers in the industry – hotel and restaurant owners and directors, chef patrons, executive chefs, purchasing managers, food and beverage managers, and so on. I was inspired by each of them to create the HORECA Malta brand. It’s about doing something different that really is of value to the people reading it.

How has the project developed since it started?

Today I can proudly say we’ve reached the seventh edition of HORECA and we now have a readership of around 30,000 between our print and digital platforms. Yes, our social media is going strong but print is still critical to our success. A print copy is always a print copy, and the feedback from many of our clients is that they still want to receive the printed version. The magazine is published quarterly and boasts a high visibility and penetration within the various Horeca sectors. There’s plenty of opportunity for future development, too, which is very exciting.

What do you enjoy about the project and why is it important?

I am passionate about food, and I love the Horeca industry as many people do. The sector is very important because Malta depends on it in so many ways. But it’s also a sector packed with fantastic stories that can serve to inspire others, which is critical in itself. I also hope to play a small part in encouraging young talent to become the industry leaders of tomorrow.

How has the hospitality industry in Malta changed since you got into it?

It’s changing constantly. It’s become very competitive, so, today, you must have an excellent, longterm strategy to succeed. There’s no room for failure, especially as information now spreads like wildfire on social media and can be very damaging, very quickly.

But that’s no reason to lose confidence. I think we have some of the highest industry standards and talent in Europe - if not the world - despite the fact that human resources remain a significant challenge. The most important thing to know is that your people will make or break your success, so it is worth investing in them.

What do you predict for the future of the hospitality industry?

It is still recovering from COVID and will be for some time. But the next challenge is already round the corner: price hikes and product shortages. That said, as long as nothing extraordinary happens in the short-term to cause further turmoil, there will be a bright future for the hospitality industry and people will have the confidence to start investing again.

Nevertheless, competitiveness should be front-of-mind, both on a consumer and national level. Together with the Government, who has backed the various Horeca industries over the past couple of years with a number of subsidies and incentives, all stakeholders must work together to keep Malta on the right track and ensure it remains a favourable destination.

How do you hope HORECA magazine will evolve in the future?

We will keep up momentum and deliver the excellent quality that our readers have come to expect. The plan is to expand, progress and continue to target the right niche audience and industry. We are at the moment busy working on projects which will diversify the current operations of the Group.

These include Horeca Events, Training, Gourmet Travel and more. We are excited to see how these ventures will pan out … I would say ‘watch this space’!