by Mary Colarik

Nicole Hough and Laura Velasco are two dynamic, enthusiastic young women and big ‘dreamers’ who believe in working hard to achieve their dreams. Together they have created a passionate side hustle with their dreamy, curated gift boxes featuring wines and olive oil from Spain; boxes that also include a candle handcrafted in LA with special fragrances.

 

They named their boxes “Spain to CA” for the coastal town that town founder, Ole Hanson, had dubbed, “the Spanish Village by the Sea.” He had envisioned a town reminiscent of Old Spain with all the homes and buildings built in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style. So, Hough and Velasco thought it would be a great connection to gather the goods from Spain and assemble them here in San Clemente. 

With a bit of serendipity, Nicole and Laura met through their respective day jobs. Nicole is a saleswoman for a commercial flooring business while Laura is a commercial interior designer. Upon meeting, the two quickly connected and formed a friendship. When a business trip to Spain was offered to Laura in 2022, Nicole promptly invited herself along as she had fallen in love with Spain on previous visits.  

The idea for the curated boxes began percolating one evening during the trip as they sat sipping wine at the end of the day. They talked and talked late into the night about their ‘dream’ of a gift box that would evoke feelings of a summer night in Spain, a California sunset or a picturesque Spanish drive. The women named their first wine, No 1 Vino Blanco, “Feels like a Summer Night in Spain” as a tribute to that night in Southern Spain when the idea of luxury gift box was initially hatched. 

 

Upon returning to Southern California they said to each other, “are we going to make this dream a reality?” Yes! was the resounding answer from both. Luckily, Nicole had been trained as sommelier at a previous job at Marriott Marquis, obtaining her Level 1 and Level 2 certifications, so she was well versed on wines while Laura, who at one point owned an interior design business based in Newport Beach, was happy to do the marketing and design the labels.

The duo assembles and labels each box by hand in San Clemente. They have a selection of three wines, white, rosé and red arriving for their next round of boxes this fall and for the holiday season. In addition to making cold calls to multiple wineries throughout southern Spain, they visited an olive mill, forming a partnership with conscientious olive growers who harvest their organic olives at just the right time. The oils are cold pressed and extra virgin. Some are infused with lemon, mandarin and basil. (I was delighted to be offered a bottle of the basil olive oil - out of this world flavor!) 

Hough and Velasco offer wine tastings for events, including one recently at the Everleigh 55+ Living Residence in San Clemente and will be doing some wine tasting events at J’Adore Café; recently relocated to a space inside Volare Hotel. The Spain to CA luxury gift boxes are offered for sale on the website, spaintoca.com. Retail pricing for the boxes range from $75-$98. Special pricing is given for bulk orders for corporate clients and to realtors who often give the boxes as a closing gift to home buyers. 

Never forget to dream. For as American Poet and Activist, Langston Hughes, said, “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” 

Kudos to Nicole and Laura to holding fast to their big dream.

For further information or to order these boxes visit spaintoca.com.