Pilgrim Ideas: “In 93 we did our first Camino De Santiago as girls,” they remember Silvana y Monica Crisóstomo, the entrepreneurs behind Ideas Peregrinas, an accommodation with a café and shop specialized in the Camino de Santiago. "We were always excited about it but we never imagined that, in addition to being a life experience, it would become the basis of our company. We are two sisters with very different careers, one dedicated to tourism consulting and the other in financial management in private banking. After 15 years in these areas, we decided to pool all our knowledge and focus it on the creation of our own project."
Pilgrim Ideas: a pioneering franchise with great potential
These entrepreneurs poured the valuable baggage described into the hostel they opened in the Pontevedra town of Tui and which they now seek to share in their newly launched franchise project.
ENTREPRENEURS: What have been the main milestones throughout your career?
MONICA CRISÓSTOMO: Without a doubt, the recognition achieved by Pilgrim Ideas. There are many pilgrims from all over the world who know us, from Korea, Canada or South Africa; Being present in your Camino plans or simply in your recommendations for others is quite an objective.
On the other hand, one of the values that stands out to us is the creation of a specialized and quality service that has its own brand seal. In this sense, many of the details that we include in the attention of our clients and in the offer are exclusively identified with our own value.
ENTREPRENEURS: Why have you decided now to start your franchise growth.
SILVANA CHRISÓSTOMO: Since we started, there have been a few who have wanted to create a Pilgrim Ideas, but at the beginning we believed it was necessary to spend some time setting all the parameters and defining the path.
Covid broke out at the moment when we were already prepared to create the network, a situation that made us go back and reactivate our space until we returned to normality along the way. It was in 2024 when we decided to restart our expansion idea and thus respond to the people who were interested in being a new space on the Camino.
EMP.: What are the main competitive factors of your business model?
M.C.: In Pilgrim Ideas We differentiate ourselves by offering a comprehensive approach to the pilgrim, combining accommodation, a cafeteria and a specialized product store designed by ourselves. In addition, our location on the Camino, along with personalized attention, are key factors.
EMP.: What are the advantages of being a pioneering chain that develops an unprecedented franchise concept.
S.C.: We would highlight, first of all, the service model that we offer as a unique and specialized space where everything is designed by and for the pilgrim. Our concept also fuses the Camino tradition with a modern approach, allowing us to maintain a deep connection with the Camino culture, pampering the essential details.
Finally, we are pioneers in creating a service network along the Camino; In this sense, it is very common for pilgrims to ask us if we are in other locations.
FOUNTAIN: ENTREPRENEURS
