Brugarol is the vision of Victoria Engelhorn and Stef van Dongen, whose passion for the Empordà shapes every estate and experience. Victoria brings tradition, warmth, and a dedication to the land’s flavors and stories, from artisanal cheeses and olive oils to the wines of Celler Brugarol. Stef brings innovation, sustainability, and design, ensuring each estate, from Mas Bell-Lloc and La Fosca to the Muga Wilderness Estate, harmonizes with nature while offering elegance and comfort. Together, they have created more than a collection of estates: Brugarol is a living story of heritage, connection, and thoughtful Mediterranean living.
Victoria Engelhorn is a regenerative entrepreneur, investor, and steward of spaces that reconnect people with what matters most: nature, community, and self. Her work exists at the intersection of hospitality, wellness, purpose-driven entrepreneurship, and large-scale landscape regeneration. From the coastal vineyards of Brugarol in Catalonia to wellness-rooted projects in Cape Town, Victoria creates environments that nourish, through food, land, connection, and meaningful experience.
In 2007, she opened the Cape Heritage Hotel, transforming an 18th-century heritage building into a vibrant boutique hospitality space. This project set the tone for her work: thoughtful transformation rooted in place, story, and soul. She later co-founded Habitus, a wellness-centered development company in Cape Town.
Victoria has also championed youth development and philanthropy, serving as chair of Zip Zap Circus and helping launch the Zip Zap Academy, for which she received the Inyathelo Award for Philanthropy. Beyond Brugarol, she invests in and collaborates with ventures aligned with a sustainable, humane, and interconnected future, with a focus on women-led businesses, wellness, regenerative systems, and place-based innovation.
Stef van Dongen is an innovator, entrepreneur, and founder of Pioneers of Our Time. Working with leaders and change-makers around the world, he realized that many of the most important decisions for our future were being made from a place of disconnection, from themselves, from nature, and from the consequences of their choices. This insight sparked his personal journey toward attunement with the natural world and inspired his mission: helping leaders reconnect with themselves and nature while regenerating ecosystems and rural communities.
Stef is at the forefront of one of Europe’s largest watershed regeneration initiatives in the Muga Valley, spanning 100,000 hectares. Here, he leads efforts to restore forests, protect biodiversity, manage carbon and water sustainably, and support local communities, all while preventing forest fires and burnout, and fostering trust between residents, authorities, and stakeholders. Through his work, Stef demonstrates that innovation and responsibility can coexist, showing how ambitious environmental, social, and economic regeneration projects are possible when leadership, community, and nature are aligned.
Experience the extraordinary journey of Stef and Victoria, their unwavering commitment to the Muga Valley Project, and the dedication of the local community and many purpose-driven individuals. Through cinematic storytelling and the perspectives of the river, the people, and the vulture, nature’s patient witness, the film reveals how regeneration unfolds: slowly, profoundly, and through the hands and hearts of those who care. The story begins with a vision, a drying river, and a valley at risk, and grows into a movement of restoration, a love story, a testament to connection, and a beacon of hope. It shows that when we listen to nature and to one another, we can reimagine how we live on this planet. Because, as we say: when the Muga stops flowing, so will we.
The Muga Valley Project is a large-scale initiative dedicated to regenerating one of Spain’s most important watersheds. Through rewilding, regenerative agriculture, and community-led restoration, the project fosters biodiversity, protects forests, and strengthens local economies — creating a model for sustainable living and ecological stewardship.
Trebol Lifeworks is a purpose-driven property development company, bringing land, buildings, and people together to regenerate what truly connects us — nature. Through thoughtful design, sustainable practices, and community-led initiatives, we create spaces that nourish, inspire, and restore the balance between people and the environment.