From market stall to Mediterranean pantry, Tierra opens first Tweed store

THE opening of Tierra Bulk Foods in Tweed Heads marks the first permanent retail space for founders Juan Lozano and Elena Pastor, whose once-humble market stall has grown into a thriving Northern Rivers business.

The new store at 9/31 Stuart Street carries over the feel of their market presence, filled with Mediterranean-inspired products that regulars will recognise from stalls across the region.

Designed with the help of a Melbourne-based sustainable design studio, the shop reflects a return to the couple’s original vision for the business.

“As part of the design process, we did quite a lot of deep internal work to reconnect with Tierra’s values — the essence of why Tierra exists and what we are trying to share through it,” Elena said.

 

“We felt that this message hadn’t always been fully transmitted before, so designing the new shop became an opportunity to return to our origins.”

Mediterranean influences run throughout the space, with sustainable materials and a layout designed to feel welcoming without losing a sense of modern simplicity.

“We wanted to design it with the same care and consistency we apply when sourcing every single product for Tierra,” she said. “We want stepping inside to feel like a trip to Morocco, Greece, Spain or the Middle East.”

For Juan and Elena, the shop is a natural extension of the market atmosphere that first defined their business.

Tierra began in late 2019, when the pair set up a small stall selling Mediterranean-inspired wholefoods.

 

Within months, the fledgling venture was tested by bushfires, the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 floods.

“Looking back, it certainly wasn’t an easy start,” Juan said.

“But seeing the reaction from the community around us made us realise we were on the right path.”

In six and a half years, Tierra has grown from a village market stall into a business employing nearly 20 staff, stocking more than 700 products and trading at an average of eight markets each week.

Juan attributes that growth to a strong ethos and long-term commitment.

“Our culture is built on respect and love for the products, our teammates, our customers and our neighbours,” he said.

 

The lively spirit of their stalls reflects the couple’s Spanish heritage and their memories of traditional Mediterranean marketplaces, where food is as much about connection as it is about produce.

“Markets in Spain are vibrant and full of life, and we try to bring that same energy to our stalls,” Elena said.

That atmosphere carries through music, colourful displays and the aromas of spices and wholefoods.

Freshness, seasonality and strong relationships with local growers remain central to the philosophy behind Tierra — a name that translates from Spanish as “earth” or “soil”.

Travel also plays a role in shaping the product range.

Juan and Elena regularly visit suppliers around the world, from olive growers in Greece’s Kalamata region to spice merchants in North Africa and cashew producers on the border of Vietnam and Cambodia.

 

“These journeys are about more than sourcing ingredients — they’re about understanding the traditions behind them,” Juan said.

“Food carries culture, history and knowledge passed through generations.”

On one trip through Spain’s Castilla-La Mancha region, the couple recall stumbling across a group of women separating saffron threads from flowers late at night.

“It felt like stepping into old Spain — watching people sitting around tables, listening to the radio, chatting and laughing while they worked,” Elena said.

Moments like these, they say, shape the stories they bring back to customers at home.

With the Tweed Heads store now open, Tierra is continuing to build on its market roots while expanding into a permanent retail space.