The origin of this Galician company dates back to 1920, with the opening of the Peña family's first canning plant in Cambados. But it was not until 2008 when Conservas Peña became Real Conservera Española. Since then, many things have changed, but not the most important thing, described in the words of Lucrecia García, the company's general manager: "To maintain the tradition of the canning sector, by preserving the production methods, both in terms of the handling of fish and seafood and the preparation of sauces and toppings". Prioritising quality over productivity and not thinking about the time it takes but instead thinking about doing it well continues to be one of the company's principles.

Of all the Real Conservera Española products, fish and seafood that come exclusively from the Galician estuaries, two stand out in particular: sardines in all varieties (olives, spicy olives and lemon olives with natural seasoning) and estuary shellfish (mussels, clams, razor clams, scallops, cockles and sea urchins). Unlike mussels, which are internationally renowned and easy to sell, razor clams and scallops are often species that are not identified or that consumers aren't used to eating canned.

International market and digitalisation

Thanks to their incursion into new international markets, they have grown from a small family business in the gourmet sector to achieve a turnover of 2.4 million euros last year, a figure that has increased by almost 30% over the last four years. In addition to many European countries (France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Romania, Denmark, the Netherlands...), Real Conservera Española's preserves are now available in the United States and Australia. Furthermore, the brand is currently negotiating the launch of its product in the Asian market, specifically in the United Arab Emirates and Korea.

Lucrecia García positively values the intensification of their presence on social networks of companies in the sector and assures that innovation is not at odds with the traditional and artisanal way of doing things that is their hallmark: "Knowing how we are doing things and having real-time data is very valuable for improving and being more competitive". In this sense, he emphasises that his commitment to digitalisation has played a fundamental role in the exponential growth that the company has experienced in recent years: "We went from having nothing to generating national and international traffic on our own online sales platform".

Sustainability and human worth, priority objectives

Sustainability is one of Real Conservera Española's priorities, which has always been committed to less invasive fishing methods, compliance with closed seasons and catch limits to guarantee the future of marine biodiversity. The company currently has a sustainable commitment plan that includes targets for reducing water and energy consumption and converting to renewable energy, as well as reusing waste and using recyclable materials.

No less important for the company is to continue to build on the human value inherent in the family business. A large part of the workforce is made up of people who have been working in the cannery for decades, who are concerned to maintain this bond of affection with "their people", the workers, "CSR taken to a very familiar and particular level".