Our Brands – Papa Anzóis

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Papa Anzóis is canned in the Algarve, in southern Portugal. The Algarve is divided into two zones: the east (Sotavento) and the west (Barlavento), where Conserveira do Arade, the cannery that produces Papa Anzóis, is located. For over a hundred years, this area was one of Portugal’s most important canning centers, peaking in the 1960s and 70s when 23 canneries stood on the banks of the Arade River. The economy revolved around the canning industry, with 20,000 employees in the factories and even more in related sectors: fishermen, those working in olive oil and paprika production, and in the metalworking industry. However, in the early 1980s, tourism took the place of the canning industry. This, combined with new, stricter fishing quotas, meant that by 1994, when investors were more interested in putting money into hotels, the 23 canneries on the Arade River no longer existed and only two remained in the eastern Algarve. That changed in 2015, when friends Manuel Mendes and Vincent Jonckheere founded Conserveira do Arade, the cannery behind Papa Anzóis. The idea to revive the region’s rich canning past was born in 2012 when Vincent visited the carefully restored Hermanos Feu cannery in Portimão (the original producers of La Rose). Papa Anzóis was launched in April 2021. Manuel and Vincent’s goal was to give a new twist to Portuguese canned fish.

Papa Anzóis’ canned sardines and mackerel are not precooked; instead, the fish is dehydrated. The dehydration process takes about 20 hours and replaces the steaming (and sometimes frying) used by other canneries. This makes the fish juicier and gives it a softer texture, preserves more omega-3 fatty acids and nutrients, and makes the skin less prone to damage. The cannery that produces Papa Anzóis is the only certified artisanal cannery on the Portuguese mainland, as it has fewer than 12 employees and the product is canned entirely by hand, except where machinery is absolutely necessary, such as for sealing the cans.

The sardines are caught seasonally and within quotas between May and November. Because Papa Anzóis works with small quantities of fish, large amounts of olive oil, lemons, and peppers are not needed to season the fish. This means that 100% of the ingredients are sourced locally. The recipes are even determined by what is available in the immediate vicinity. A sustainable way of working. The mackerel and horse mackerel are caught year-round, and like the sardines, using purse seine nets. This allows smaller fish to swim free and prevents damage to the seabed.

Papa Anzóis is the name of a notorious rock formation off the coast of the Algarve that drives fishermen to despair. It means ‘eater of fishhooks’ (Papa is Portuguese slang for eating, and anzóis means fishhooks). The name is taken from a recreational fisherman’s map that came into Manuel and Vincent’s hands via a customer. The map shows where the fishing spots (the rock formations where fish congregate) are located along the Algarve coast. Papa Anzóis is located 16 kilometers from the cannery.