About Canyas

Craft with Culture, Beer with Benefits

Canyas is a bold new range of nutrient-enhanced craft beers, brewed in Barcelona with top independent brewers. Inspired by Mediterranean sunshine and Catalan culture, each release delivers big flavour, functional benefits, and showcases our collaborative spirit.

A Moment

Canyas isn’t just a beer, it’s a moment.

A moment when the right mix of people came together, each bringing something essential to the table, to bring craft beer to a new generation.

A logistics innovator with a pub background. A master brewer who helped shape Catalonia’s craft beer scene. A Belgian brewpub owner with deep local roots. A sharp operator focused on scale. A brand strategist who made Barcelona home.

We’re a crew of doers. Grounded in experience but fuelled by fresh energy, local love, and a shared obsession with raising the beer game. From building scalable systems and crafting unforgettable brews, to driving global sales and designing a brand that actually means something, this is the team behind the Canyas.

And we think we’ve got the recipe juuuust right.

Team

Meet The Team

Georgina Steele

Co-Founder, Influencer & Community Lead

Georgina is our buzz-builder. With a sharp eye for trends and a natural instinct for what gets people talking, she leads our community, influencer, and brand activation efforts. She’s been a micro-influencer, so knows first-hand how to turn GenZ into brand fans. She’s the force behind our shareable moments, our connection to people, and creates authentic content that resonates with the Canyas community. And yes, her in the disco ball at a concert actually happened.

Robin Barden

Co-Founder, Product & Brewing Lead

An award-winning Head Brewer with 15 years’ experience on the craft beer scene, Robin brings top-tier leadership and brewing expertise to the table. He has played a key role in helping shape Catalunya’s craft beer movement and previously led two acclaimed breweries. Robin’s deep involvement in the responsible tourism movement aligns closely with Canyas’ commitment to sustainability. With a PhD in Philosophy and an MSc in Responsible Tourism, he also contributes a thoughtful, values-driven approach. As a Catalan-English translator and former Barcelona city guide, Robin strengthens both our brewing and cultural connections.

Simon Kamstra

Co-Founder, Revenue & Growth Lead

Simon holds a BA in International Facility Management and an MBA in Marketing Management. He was the first to fully embrace the Canyas vision and brings a wealth of experience to the team. A strong manager and leader, Simon excels in driving teams towards success, with a laser focus on international expansion, unit pricing, and operational efficiency. His no-nonsense, action-oriented approach has been honed through a successful career in software sales, notably with HP and its partners. Simon, occasionally mistaken for Clark Kent, is great at what he does but is driven to find a sector he loves. His dream is to own a destination pub (#CasaCanyas).

Alex Lazarowicz

Co-Founder, Sales & Partnerships Lead

Alex is an award-winning brewer and the owner of Barna Brew, a brewpub combining Belgian brewing pedigree with love for Barcelona (B-B). Holding both a BA and MA in European Studies and International Diplomacy, Alex began his career as a Policy Analyst, and has performed language and integration research in Barcelona. Alex will lead Canyas’ national sales efforts, local market presence, the development of our franchise business, and ultimately Casa Canyas. With over ten years of brewing experience, in-depth local industry knowledge, and strong ties within the brewpub community, Alex will shape our local presence and national relationships

Alex Carruthers

Founder, Strategy & Marketing Lead

Alex Carruthers is a marketing strategist and dynamic communicator with a background in AI consulting. He built a decentralised AI consultancy, working with over 150 AI businesses to collate innovation and help boutique consultancies reach bigger clients. With experience in strategic planning at top agencies like Ogilvy & Mather and Omnicom Media Group, Alex excels at distilling complex ideas into simple, actionable insights. A ‘citizen of nowhere’, Alex fell in love with then moved to Barcelona with his wife and two dogs. He’s putting down roots in Catalunya, and is occasionally seen dragged behind his dog, Casper, on a longboard.

Richard Cox

Founding Advisor

Richard brings three decades of logistics experience to Canyas. Prior, he was a NZ national cricket and regional rugby player. He built success through supply chain innovation, patenting shipping container optimisation technologies that continue to power a global logistics business he runs today. Richard also owned and ran two Irish pubs in Atlanta. His vast knowledge, network of contacts, and practical approach will help us navigate potential pitfalls in business operations, hospitality and logistics. He’s also just a great, practical Kiwi bloke who enjoys a canya or two (sometimes three).

Partners

Our Partners
This list is brewing fast...

Timeline

Watch this space...

Now

Brewing, Printing, Packaging

Our re-branding is rolling out across our material. Our can designs are being printed and shipped.

Our Sandy Lion and Sunset Passion are being kegged for a round of consumer feedback at our favourite craft beer bars around Barcelona.

Our Kombucha has begun its brewing phase.

Our Sunlight Lager vitamin D recipe is being refined.

July-August

Designing, Branding and Brewing...

Brand fine tuning with external designer.

Both the Sandy Lion Blonde IPA and Sunset Passion Fruited Sour have now concluded brewing and fermentation.

May 5th, 2025

Brewer Meeting

Canyas met representatives from several breweries to introduce the team and our plan to build a collaborative brand that drives export.

May, 2025

Micro Brewery Partners

We're currently locking in our founding brewers, establishing clear ways of working together and planning our export operations.

28th April, 2025

Founding team

Simon Kamstra and Alex Lazarowicz buy into the Canyas mission. Robin sees the opportunity to brew something that's never been brewed before. Richard thinks we're doing something pretty cool.

16th April, 2025

Idea

What if the beer we were already drinking came with some functional benefits? What if we could improve the economics of high quality micro brewing?

Timeline

Feed

Mission

Mission: Promoting Catalan Culture and Respectful Tourism

We’re building a beer brand with a purpose — giving back to the communities that shape the beer, and to encourage travellers to explore with respect.

These four principles guide everything we do:

1. Visit Like a Local

Tourism should leave a place better, not worse.

We promote positive travel by raising awareness of local issues and supporting community-led projects — from beach clean-ups to cultural preservation.

2. Drink the Catalan Way: Two Canyas is Enough

Drink less, enjoy more.

We swap excess for experience. Catalan drinking culture is about conversation, not consumption — slow afternoons, shared plates, and beer as part of the moment, not the main event.

3. Celebrate Catalan Customs

This isn’t just Spain. It’s Catalunya.

We spotlight local traditions, festivals, and flavours — from limited-edition brews to native ingredients — and weave Catalan stories and traditions into every label.

4. Speak the Language, Even a Little

A few Catalan words go a long way.

We use beer as a bridge, helping visitors connect through simple language tools — phrases on cans, guides in bars, and in our paid advertising.

We will be transparently sharing profits with initiatives that improve life for residents. We're still finalising details and partnerships. We're thinking clean up initiatives, supporting lower costs of living, or donating to shelters and food banks.