Our Story

Welcome to La Montaña – a range of gorgeous home fragrances inspired by the founders’ new life in a Spanish mountain village.  Fill your home with warm fragrances of the Mediterranean!

“On our mountain, at first light, there’s a heavenly fragrance in the air.  Before anyone starts an engine, or lights a fire, the air is clear, and still, and silent.  The first breath of the day carries the perfume of wild mountain herbs; fennel, rosemary, mountain pepper, and intoxicating rockrose.  The alchemy of these fragrances, blended naturally on the breeze, weaves a magical spell…  The inspiration for our first candle, First Light.”

We are a passionate and family-owned business – to us, La Montaña is personal, real and nostalgic.

La Montaña home fragrances conjure up memories and dreams of the Mediterranean, and of holidays in the sun.  They’re guaranteed not only to smell wonderful, but also to look great on the mantlepiece – each one bears its own unique and collectable label in the style of a nostalgic 1930’s travel poster.  La Montaña fragrances truly are affordable luxuries.

 

The Founders

Cassandra and Jonathan Hall are the founders of LA MONTAÑA.  Cassandra is a veteran of the UK cosmetics industry, and was Communications Director of Lancôme.  Since leaving corporate life she has branched into consultancy, specialising in brand and product design.

Jonathan is an award-winning screenwriter for both TV and films, and fluent Spanish-speaker, with a lifelong passion for Spain.  He was also co-founder, in 1987, of cricket bat manufacturers Millichamp & Hall – something of a cult brand (if you’re into cricket), and still going strong thirty-five years later.

Born-and-bred Londoners, Cassandra and Jonathan actually met and fell in love in Spain in 1980 (yikes!), and moved in 2011 to a remote Valencian village for an adventure - certainly not to start a business!

Cass by Jonathan

“Cass has an extraordinary sense of smell.  I don’t just mean a keen sense of smell, I mean she has a clear idea of what she likes, and what she doesn’t, and even WHY she does and doesn’t.  She sniffs, she judges.  I’m very grateful that I passed muster!”

Jonathan by Cass

“Jonathan is an amazing blend of creativity and practicality.  I don’t know how he writes original and funny (very) scripts AND puts Ikea furniture together, but I’m super glad he does.  Without him, I would be, incomplete, obviously, but also prone and sobbing with frustration on top of a pile of flat-pack boxes.”

Georgie

Georgie Atherton (soon to be Georgie Hall - so not only part of the La Montaña family, but part of the Hall family as well) is our Communications Manager. From a top PR agency, Georgie has ‘come home’ to La Montaña - she was literally with us when our very first samples arrived!

Meet The Team

Marianne Martin is one of our wonderful ‘Noses’, and is the mastermind behind most of our range.  She now consults for the fabulously talented Pia Long, who has created our latest fragrances (works of art, quite frankly).  Olfiction.

Zed Gregory is our visionary designer.  And Isabelle Eeles is their favourite illustrator.  We like to think that they are two sides of the same glittering coin – though this has not yet been scientifically verified.  They Them Studio.

OI-Digital, our web gurus, are real-life wizards.  Chief wizard is Steve Gayler – who has infinite knowledge (and infinite patience with us), and his co-wizard is Joe Purnell.  Between them they do actual, and beautiful, magic!

Before his death in 2020, world-renowned photographer Jurgen Schadeberg generously allowed his glorious photos of Spain grace our website.

Our thanks to our friends at The Perfume Society for allowing us to share their infinite knowledge of fragrance families.

And special thanks to all our wildly talented and generous friends:

Florists/Stylist/Geniuses: Athena and Mairead at Rebel Rebel

Photographer (lifestyle images): Claire Fulton

Photographer (pack shots): Amber Morahan

Our Customers Love

Our bestsellers. There’s a fragrance for every mood, and everyone has their favourite, but these ones are enduringly popular…

  • Best Seller

    First Light candle

    Wild mountain flora

    £39.00
    Add to basket
  • Best Seller

    Winter Oranges candle

    Orange, cinnamon, and clove

    £39.00
    Add to basket
  • Best Seller

    Alfredo’s Café candle

    Black tobacco, coffee, and brandy

    £39.00
    Add to basket
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