At El Epicúreo in Cómpeta, we opened our doors to a unique collaboration. We had the pleasure of hosting an Erasmus internship at El Epicúreo with two talented students: Matthias Winter and Philipp Plattner, from the LIK Akademie in Austria. Both joined us from June 8 to June 17, 2026.
Everything was possible thanks to the Erasmus+ program. This European Union initiative helps students travel, learn, and gain real-world work experience in other countries. For our small bakery, it was the perfect opportunity to welcome a fresh perspective. It allowed us to capture the daily pulse of our business and refresh our brand from a whole new angle.
Our Creative Plan & LIK Akademie
To help the guys get started, we prepared a creative wishlist alongside the LIK Akademie für Foto und Design. This Austrian academy stands out for teaching photography, film, and digital design through real, hands-on projects.
Our plan had three simple goals. We wanted to modernize our logo while keeping our classic brand colors. We also sought to build a high-quality photo and video library showcasing our daily baking. Lastly, we wanted to design fun “Coming Soon” teaser assets for our sister restaurant, El Paraíso.
The Baker’s Perspective: Virginie’s Experience
Inviting these students into the bakery was the best decision. It gave Matthias and Philipp a cozy space to create, while giving me a completely refreshed outlook on my own business from the inside out.
Matthias and Philipp showed immense talent, working quietly and professionally—especially when tackling the new logo project. They delivered a beautiful, clean design guide packed with fresh logo concepts, packaging mockups, and menus. Beyond the outstanding work, it was a wonderful cultural exchange, and they even taught me a few new tech tricks along the way. It was a busy, beautiful experience, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Behind the Lens: The Students’ Perspectives
Matthias Winter: Combining Pastry and Photography
First Impressions & The Craft:
“From the very first step inside the bakery, the wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread and pastries welcomed me. Virginie’s warm, friendly nature made me feel right at home. As a trained pastry chef, I know baking is both an art and a science. Even so, I was fascinated by the craftsmanship at El Epicúreo. Seeing puff pastry made entirely with butter in the middle of the Spanish heat surprised me the most. It takes immense skill, precision, and experience.”
A Creative Perspective & Culture:
“My background shaped how I approached the project. My pastry training taught me to pay close attention to detail and carefully observe my surroundings. I really enjoyed capturing authentic moments through photos and videos. Culturally, it was unique. I loved how Virginie took her time for every customer—and their dogs. Even though my Spanish mostly stayed at ‘Hola,’ I returned home with wonderful memories.”
Memorable Moments & Taste Test:
“My favorite memory is the incredible smell filling the bakery every morning. If I had to pick just one product to eat every day, it would definitely be the chocolate croissant. It has the perfect balance: crispy on the outside, soft and buttery inside, with a delicious chocolate filling.”
Matthias Winter: Top 5
Philipp Plattner: Capturing Speed and Light
First Impressions & The Craft:
“My very first impression was wondering why the storefront sign looked pink! As it turned out, the sun had faded the colors over time. Inside, the atmosphere was warm and everyone was so kind. During production, Virginie worked so fast that her hands were a blur in many of my photos. I was also surprised to learn how quickly you must work with certain pastry doughs to keep them cold; otherwise, they won’t turn out well.”
A Creative Perspective & Culture:
“I spent the trip looking for great lighting, interesting patterns, and creative frames. One of my favorite shots features colorful meringues placed on a church railing with orange brick walls in the background. Culturally, the experience wasn’t vastly different from working at home. Communicating in English worked really well, so I didn’t learn many Spanish words beyond ‘Hola.’”
Memorable Moments & Taste Test:
“One of my favorite moments was when a yoga group came back from a morning photoshoot and we all ate breakfast together in the bakery. It was a really lovely way to spend the morning. When it comes to the pastries, my absolute favorite was the éclair with vanilla cream and raspberries on top, because raspberries are my favorite fruit.”
Philipp Plattner: Top 5
More Than Just Photos
Matthias and Philipp went above and beyond. Far from just taking pictures, they created a complete design guide for us that featured logo proposals in light, dark, and full-color versions using clean icons like croissants and ears of wheat. They even created mockups for new menus, shopping bags, and business cards featuring our slogan: “Baked with love, served with joy!”
We are incredibly grateful for their hard work and the wonderful, fresh energy they brought to our bakery in Cómpeta.
Ready to taste the magic?
The Big Reveal: Presentation and Handover
The internship wrapped up on June 17, 2026, when Matthias and Philipp sat down with us to share everything they had created. They walked us through their creative journey and showed us exactly how they brought our ideas to life.
They handed over an impeccably organized Google Drive folder packed with high-resolution photos for our website, fun short videos for Instagram Reels, and fully vectorized logo files in every format we could ever need. Seeing their final presentation made us immensely proud of everything they achieved in such a short time. We can’t wait to share our amazing new logo with you very soon!
Connect with the creators:
- Matthias Winter: Instagram @matthiaswinter.fotografie | Website: matthias-winter.at
- Philipp Plattner: Instagram @p11_photo
- LIK Akademie: Instagram @likakademie | Website: likakademie.com
FAQs
The internship focused on three main goals: modernizing El Epicúreo’s logo and brand identity, creating a high-quality photo and video library of daily bakery operations, and designing teaser promotional assets for our sister restaurant, El Paraíso.
Two photography and design students from the LIK Akademie in Austria—Matthias Winter and Philipp Plattner—partnered with El Epicúreo’s baker and owner, Virginie, for an intensive creative project in Cómpeta, Spain.ecto creativo en Cómpeta, España.
Matthias and Philipp handed over a complete brand design guide (featuring updated logos, menu layouts, packaging mockups, and business cards), a library of high-resolution photos for the website, and short-form videos designed for Instagram Reels.
The Erasmus+ program connects local businesses with talented international students, bringing fresh creative perspectives, professional design skills, and technical expertise to small projects while offering students valuable, hands-on experience abroad.
