Uruguay Country Brand granted its license to the Hugo restaurant, adding a new landmark to Uruguayan cuisine

Chef Hugo Soca’s restaurant, hugo café & resto, received the Uruguay Country Brand certification and joined the community of more than 200 companies that represent the country’s identity, quality, and international profile. The recognition, administered by Uruguay XXI in collaboration with LSQA, honors organizations that embody the values that position Uruguay on the global stage.

At an event held at the restaurant—attended by Undersecretary of Tourism Ana Claudia Caram, LSQA CEO Santiago Vázquez, Uruguay Country Brand Manager Larissa Perdomo, and Uruguay XXI Executive Director Mariana Ferreira—Soca received the certificate confirming the certification.

This certification is a strategic tool for companies seeking to strengthen their positioning both within and outside Uruguay; it evaluates them based on four pillars: origin, sustainability, leadership and management, and export capacity.

Soca, who has been an ambassador for Uruguay Country Brand for years, emphasized upon receiving the recognition that the new restaurant encapsulates his professional career and his way of representing the country through gastronomy.

“I wanted this restaurant to represent my origins,” he said. The chef explained that every element of the space reflects his personal history and the country’s interior: the wall colors evoke the Uruguayan earth, the wood-fired ovens recall the cuisine of his childhood, and the stone references the landscape where he grew up. “Hugo is who I am today, but rooted in my origins and, of course, always supporting local produce,” he affirmed.

Soca also championed a cuisine based on domestic produce and family traditions. “We have a country that serves as a global example for everything it does. My mission is always to go out and showcase those talents,” he added.

Uruguay Country Brand Manager Larissa Perdomo highlighted Soca’s dual connection to Uruguay’s international positioning strategy—first as an ambassador and now also as the owner of a licensed establishment.
“This world-class restaurant is now a reality, where we can bring tourists and investors to experience the top-quality, exceptional national products you offer,” she noted.

For her part, Mariana Ferreira, executive director of Uruguay XXI, stated that the Hugo restaurant embodies the values of Marca País. “The way they connect with producers, products, ingredients, and processes is a true reflection of Uruguay,” she said.
The Undersecretary of Tourism, Ana Claudia Caram, highlighted the contribution of gastronomy to the strategy of promoting the country as a tourist destination.

“Today, as a country, we are seeking to rediscover our essence. Hugo embodies that Uruguayan identity, rich in stories, territory, and a sense of community, and he is the ambassador we all want,” she said.

Santiago Vázquez of LSQA noted that certification involves an independent evaluation of compliance with Country Brand standards. “Hugo underwent a very satisfactory audit, which demonstrates the work Hugo Soca has been doing for years and how that culture extends to the entire team working alongside him,” he stated.

The addition of hugo to the group of licensors expands the community of companies that promote Uruguay’s values internationally. In this case, gastronomy is added as an expression of national identity, highlighting local production, the connection to the land, and a way of understanding cuisine as a vehicle for telling the country’s story.