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Anchovies + Sardines

Our anchovies and sardines are more than just delicious, mild-flavored seafood treats. They support communities of small, family-run businesses, and are easy, nutritious ways to eat lower on the food chain.

A worker in overalls, red hooded sweatshirt and light green woolen cap holds up an anchovy and looks ready to bite itPhoto by Amy Kumler

Nutrition: Eat the Bait

Forage fish like anchovies and sardines make eating lower on the food chain delicious and easy. And eating low on the food chain isn’t just better for the planet, it’s better for humans as well.  Because these abundant fish have short lifespans and eat a and plankton-rich diet, they  don’t accumulate the high levels of toxic heavy metals found in larger fish such as tuna or swordfish. Anchovies and sardines are also an excellent source of protein and calcium. They contain jaw dropping amounts of vitamin B-12 (as much as 560% DV), a nutrient that helps keep both the nerve and blood cells healthy.* In other words, they're everything you love about seafood, only smaller.

*See nutrition information for total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol content.

Sourcing: The Spanish Solution

We harvest our anchovies and sardines from thriving populations off northern Spain, using responsible, small-scale fishing practices. We source from family-owned fishing guilds we know personally and we don’t rely on commodity markets. This guarantees consistency, quality and traceability.

The fishing fleet, based in the province of Cantabria, employs small-scale purse seines to minimize bycatch and ensure the highest quality of their harvest. Because these small fish shoal tightly together, the nets—which surround a school of fish and are then closed up around them—can be managed effectively to target them with minimal bycatch. The fleet fishes in-shore on shorter trips, producing fewer emissions and fresher fish which can be handled closer to when they were caught.
The harvested fish are transported to a fifth-generation family company, Conservas Antonio Pérez Lafuente (a certified B Corp that employs mostly women). There, they’re processed seasoned and canned, turning these abundant forage fish into fresh-tasting, shelf-stable delicacies. Our anchovies, called “white anchovies” for their light color, are the exact opposite of the salty, dark-brown anchovies used for pizzas and Caesar salads. Our sardines, slightly larger than anchovies, are mild and delicate in flavor. 
An illustration in white on a blue wash background demonstrates the circle of the undersea food chain

llustration by Ilka Hadlock

Enviro: Why Anchovies and Sardines?

Eating forage fish (aka baitfish), takes pressure off larger, less-abundant species like tuna and swordfish.

Tuna and swordfish are long lived and can’t reproduce quickly—so they can’t withstand the pressures of the global market.. Abundant fish that live lower on the ocean foodchain, like anchovies and sardines, provide a tasty alternative. Their quick reproduction andstrict management make these little fish afully renewable resource.

Photo by Carol Studio

History: The Fishing Guilds of Cantabria

In ancient villages along the Bay of Biscay, in northern Spain, fishermen and processors work together to ensure a healthy future for fish and community alike.

All along the densely forested, mountainous coastline of Cantabria, small boats head out to sea, owned by families who have fished these waters for centuries. In this autonomous region of Spain, the fishermen who harvest our anchovies, sardines and mackerel belong to traditional cofradías, or guilds, which date back to medieval times. The guilds share profits and best practices, and ensure worker safety. They’re also social institutions, with their own bars and festivals. This tradition of cooperation, with membership handed down through generations, creates a deep sense of responsibility to protect ocean resources, and the communities that depend on them, for the future. 

The scientists and crew from the Good Fish Foundation stand on a beach, holding letters that spell their organization's namePhoto Courtesy of Good Fish Foundation

Partners: Guided By Science

We work with Good Fish Foundation, of Veenendaal, the Netherlands, to ensure that Bay of Biscay anchovies and sardines, as harvested by the Cantabrian fleet, remain a truly renewable resource. As one of the few major food companies that work in direct partnership with fish conservation and science organizations, our goal is to find solutions that help protect, rather than deplete, our home planet. Good Fish evaluates the sustainability of fisheries in Europe and works with fishermen, fish farmers, processors and retailers to help seafood buyers make environmentally sound decisions about what to eat. The group also publishes a sustainable seafood guide for consumers, advises chefs, and is working to ensure that by 2030, the Netherlands catches, farms, sells and consumes only sustainable fish.