The distribution chain El Corte Inglés wants to assume itself as the 'ambassador' of Portuguese brands of sustainable food products in the group's network in Spain, revealed today, September 4, Enrique Hidalgo, general director of El Corte Inglés in Portugal.
At the launching ceremony for canned and bottle-matured tuna, a new product launched by the canning company Santa Catarina, from the Azores, which took place today, September 4th, at the El Corte Inglés facilities in Lisbon, Enrique Hidalgo, revealed that the group is studying how to place Azorean canning products in the more than 60 stores, supermarkets and shopping centers it operates in Spain, but noted that the measure will extend to a more varied range of food products, not only Azorean, but also Portuguese generally.
The challenge for this initiative by El Corte Inglés was subsequently reinforced by the Minister of the Sea, Ricardo Serrão Santos, and by the Regional Secretary of the Azores for the Sea, Science and Technology, Gui Menezes, also present at the ceremony, pending the development of the contacts between El Corte Inglés in Portugal and its headquarters in Madrid.
The event marked the launch of Santa Catarina in the segment of the first canned tuna matured in Portugal, through the 'premium' brand, directed to the 'gourmet' segment, designated 'Mestre Saúl', available now in the various supermarkets of El Corte Inglés in Portugal and “in most large distribution areas in Portugal”, as assured by Jornal Económico Rogério Veiros, president of the board of directors of the Azorean canning company.
“Conservas Santa Catarina, S. Jorge - Açores present the new brand 'Mestre Saúl', the first Portuguese 'premium' canned matured tuna, created in honor of Mestre Saúl Casimiro, a man of great knowledge in the art of preserves, whose contribution was decisive for Santa Catarina in the elaboration of a unique product ”, explains a company statement.
According to this note, 'Mestre Saúl' “is the first Portuguese brand that enters the segment of canned tuna, a new trend in canning production that responds to the most demanding consumers, who are looking for selected and exclusive products for a different tasting experience ”.
“For the preparation of 'Mestre Saúl' preserves, the selected tuna fillet is 'wisely' handled, according to the ancient techniques of curing canned fish and remains matured for more than a year in a can until ready to be consumed. The ripening process serves to add flavor without interfering with the main ingredient, that is, tuna. This one changes over time, the fibers become softer and the flavor softer and more delicate. Ripened tuna is tasted and enjoyed in the best conservation stage, being a celebration of the best tuna in the Azores, living up to the motto of 'Mestre Saúl' ”, points out the aforementioned statement, recalling that 'Good things are made to wait'.
Also present at this ceremony was the president of ANICP - National Association of Canned Fish Industry, José Maria Freitas.
“To support the launch of the campaign and to promote the brand and the product, there will be an exclusive promotional space 'Mestre Saúl' in the supermarkets of El Corte Inglés” in Portugal, the statement said.
Who is Mestre Saúl Casimiro?
Born in 1918 in the Algarve, from a very young age, Saúl Casimiro dedicated himself to the art of canning. "A simple man, but with strong convictions, he knew that only by preparing the best tuna while still fresh, boiling it only in brine, would he be able to maintain all the nutritional qualities and all the freshness", underlines the statement from Conservas Santa Catarina.
The company recalls that, in 1955, Saúl Casimiro was invited to bring knowledge to the island of São Jorge, in the Azores, “where he found the raw material he dreamed of: the best fresh tuna”, adding that “he stayed here until the end of life, dedicated to fulfilling a mission: to produce the best canned tuna in the world ”.
“Through a simple and artisanal method, which has been passed down from generation to generation, it is thanks to Mestre Saúl Casimiro, who today arrives at our tables the best taste of the Azorean sea, in a can of the brand with the name of the canner”, guarantees the company.
The canning company assumes that “like Santa Catarina, 'Mestre Saúl' is committed to sustainability”, bearing the stamps 'Friend Of The Sea' (sustainable production certificate), 'Azores Certified by Nature' on the packaging (proves the origin of the product), 'Leap and pole fishing' (reports on artisanal fishing that respects the environment), 'Dolphin Safe' (translates respect for dolphins and the marine ecosystem), 'Laborado Manually' (artisanal production), ' Conservas de Portugal '(seal attributed by ANICP, which certifies that the production is national and that it has a notable incorporation of added value).
Those in charge of El Corte Inglés say they share these Santa Catarina objectives: sustainable fishing, valuing women's work and encouraging the consumption of authentic and proximity products, which also protect the environment.
The launch of the 'Mestre Saúl' brand “is the best example of the renovation that is being seen in the canning sector in Portugal, which has, at this moment, the campaign 'Let's conserve what's ours', promoted by ANICP ”.
“This ANICP campaign aims to raise awareness among the Portuguese people about the quality and versatility of national preserves and, thus, promote the consumption of what is produced in Portugal”, stresses the statement in question, stating that “the campaign is also a way to leverage and enhance the fishing industry, presenting canned fish as a distinctive example of tradition and excellence of the national industry, represented in the symbol 'Conservas de Portugal' ”.
The Santa Catarina canning factory is located by the sea, in Fajã Grande, in the village of Calheta, on the island of São Jorge, in the Azores archipelago.
“It is a company dedicated exclusively to the manufacture of canned tuna, which strives for quality, combining technology with ancestral artisanal methods, and the factory is currently the main employer on the island of São Jorge, with 139 employees”, reveals the same statement.
According to this document, “Santa Catarina preserves are made with tuna caught using the hop and stick method (artisanal fishing with cane), selecting the best specimens, safeguarding the preservation of the species and respecting the marine ecosystem, protecting dolphins, which earned the 'Dolphin Safe' and 'Friend of the sea' certifications by the non-governmental organization Earth Island Institute, being the first in Portugal to obtain these awards, a true example of sustainability ”.
“The brand, in addition to having won the prize for the most sustainable preserves in the world, granted by Greenpeace, is also awarded for its products and is now visible in the main fine grocery stores. Santa Catarina exports 40% of production, in which England and Italy represent half of annual sales. The brand is entering the Asian market and has already introduced canned Santa Catarina in Macau and Japan ”, concludes the statement from the Azorean canner.
The distribution chain El Corte Inglés wants to assume itself as the 'ambassador' of Portuguese brands of sustainable food products in the group's network in Spain, revealed today, September 4, Enrique Hidalgo, general director of El Corte Inglés in Portugal.
At the launching ceremony for canned and bottle-matured tuna, a new product launched by the canning company Santa Catarina, from the Azores, which took place today, September 4th, at the El Corte Inglés facilities in Lisbon, Enrique Hidalgo, revealed that the group is studying how to place Azorean canning products in the more than 60 stores, supermarkets and shopping centers it operates in Spain, but noted that the measure will extend to a more varied range of food products, not only Azorean, but also Portuguese generally.
The challenge for this initiative by El Corte Inglés was subsequently reinforced by the Minister of the Sea, Ricardo Serrão Santos, and by the Regional Secretary of the Azores for the Sea, Science and Technology, Gui Menezes, also present at the ceremony, pending the development of the contacts between El Corte Inglés in Portugal and its headquarters in Madrid.
The event marked the launch of Santa Catarina in the segment of the first canned tuna matured in Portugal, through the 'premium' brand, directed to the 'gourmet' segment, designated 'Mestre Saúl', available now in the various supermarkets of El Corte Inglés in Portugal and “in most large distribution areas in Portugal”, as assured by Jornal Económico Rogério Veiros, president of the board of directors of the Azorean canning company.
“Conservas Santa Catarina, S. Jorge - Açores present the new brand 'Mestre Saúl', the first Portuguese 'premium' canned matured tuna, created in honor of Mestre Saúl Casimiro, a man of great knowledge in the art of preserves, whose contribution was decisive for Santa Catarina in the elaboration of a unique product ”, explains a company statement.
According to this note, 'Mestre Saúl' “is the first Portuguese brand that enters the segment of canned tuna, a new trend in canning production that responds to the most demanding consumers, who are looking for selected and exclusive products for a different tasting experience ”.
“For the preparation of 'Mestre Saúl' preserves, the selected tuna fillet is 'wisely' handled, according to the ancient techniques of curing canned fish and remains matured for more than a year in a can until ready to be consumed. The ripening process serves to add flavor without interfering with the main ingredient, that is, tuna. This one changes over time, the fibers become softer and the flavor softer and more delicate. Ripened tuna is tasted and enjoyed in the best conservation stage, being a celebration of the best tuna in the Azores, living up to the motto of 'Mestre Saúl' ”, points out the aforementioned statement, recalling that 'Good things are made to wait'.
Also present at this ceremony was the president of ANICP - National Association of Canned Fish Industry, José Maria Freitas.
“To support the launch of the campaign and to promote the brand and the product, there will be an exclusive promotional space 'Mestre Saúl' in the supermarkets of El Corte Inglés” in Portugal, the statement said.
Who is Mestre Saúl Casimiro?
Born in 1918 in the Algarve, from a very young age, Saúl Casimiro dedicated himself to the art of canning. "A simple man, but with strong convictions, he knew that only by preparing the best tuna while still fresh, boiling it only in brine, would he be able to maintain all the nutritional qualities and all the freshness", underlines the statement from Conservas Santa Catarina.
The company recalls that, in 1955, Saúl Casimiro was invited to bring knowledge to the island of São Jorge, in the Azores, “where he found the raw material he dreamed of: the best fresh tuna”, adding that “he stayed here until the end of life, dedicated to fulfilling a mission: to produce the best canned tuna in the world ”.
“Through a simple and artisanal method, which has been passed down from generation to generation, it is thanks to Mestre Saúl Casimiro, who today arrives at our tables the best taste of the Azorean sea, in a can of the brand with the name of the canner”, guarantees the company.
The canning company assumes that “like Santa Catarina, 'Mestre Saúl' is committed to sustainability”, bearing the stamps 'Friend Of The Sea' (sustainable production certificate), 'Azores Certified by Nature' on the packaging (proves the origin of the product), 'Leap and pole fishing' (reports on artisanal fishing that respects the environment), 'Dolphin Safe' (translates respect for dolphins and the marine ecosystem), 'Laborado Manually' (artisanal production), ' Conservas de Portugal '(seal attributed by ANICP, which certifies that the production is national and that it has a notable incorporation of added value).
Those in charge of El Corte Inglés say they share these Santa Catarina objectives: sustainable fishing, valuing women's work and encouraging the consumption of authentic and proximity products, which also protect the environment.
The launch of the 'Mestre Saúl' brand “is the best example of the renovation that is being seen in the canning sector in Portugal, which has, at this moment, the campaign 'Let's conserve what's ours', promoted by ANICP ”.
“This ANICP campaign aims to raise awareness among the Portuguese people about the quality and versatility of national preserves and, thus, promote the consumption of what is produced in Portugal”, stresses the statement in question, stating that “the campaign is also a way to leverage and enhance the fishing industry, presenting canned fish as a distinctive example of tradition and excellence of the national industry, represented in the symbol 'Conservas de Portugal' ”.
The Santa Catarina canning factory is located by the sea, in Fajã Grande, in the village of Calheta, on the island of São Jorge, in the Azores archipelago.
“It is a company dedicated exclusively to the manufacture of canned tuna, which strives for quality, combining technology with ancestral artisanal methods, and the factory is currently the main employer on the island of São Jorge, with 139 employees”, reveals the same statement.
According to this document, “Santa Catarina preserves are made with tuna caught using the hop and stick method (artisanal fishing with cane), selecting the best specimens, safeguarding the preservation of the species and respecting the marine ecosystem, protecting dolphins, which earned the 'Dolphin Safe' and 'Friend of the sea' certifications by the non-governmental organization Earth Island Institute, being the first in Portugal to obtain these awards, a true example of sustainability ”.
“The brand, in addition to having won the prize for the most sustainable preserves in the world, granted by Greenpeace, is also awarded for its products and is now visible in the main fine grocery stores. Santa Catarina exports 40% of production, in which England and Italy represent half of annual sales. The brand is entering the Asian market and has already introduced canned Santa Catarina in Macau and Japan ”, concludes the statement from the Azorean canner.