Conservas Cerqueira

What Conservas Cerqueira does

Conservas Cerqueira, S.A. is a Spanish canned seafood manufacturer founded in 1890 in Vigo by João Baptista Cerqueira, operating as a Sociedad Anónima (CIF A36600518) registered in Pontevedra. The company produces a broad portfolio of canned fish and shellfish — including light tuna, white tuna (bonito del norte), tuna belly (ventresca), stuffed calamari, mussels from Galician Rías and Chile, sardines, small sardines, cockles, giant squid tentacles, surimi, fish roe, and tuna dip — across four brands: Pay Pay (the primary flagship, described as a sector benchmark of Galician canned seafood heritage), Ramona, Buenos Días, and the internationally-focused La Lola, plus a premium Serie Oro sub-line.

The business operates two production facilities in northwestern Spain: the original Vigo plant (10,000 m², 300,000 cans/day) and a newer Rianxo plant inaugurated in 2023 (18,000 m², 400,000 cans/day), giving a combined capacity of 700,000 cans per day and over 50 million cans annually. The Rianxo facility incorporates an automated Mecalux Pallet Shuttle cold-storage warehouse (3,000 pallets) and dry-storage area (5,000 pallets), alongside modern waste-recycling and energy-efficiency systems. Quality and sustainability are anchored by IFS Food, ISO 9001, and Dolphin Safe certifications, plus a 2017 Good Business Practices award from the Consortium of the Free Trade Zone of Vigo.

Revenue is generated through two streams: own-brand product sales (Pay Pay, Ramona, Buenos Días, La Lola) distributed through retail and food channels, and private-label contract manufacturing (one-time contract model) for partner brands globally, covering raw material selection through final packaging design. The go-to-market combines trade show presence (ANUGA, SIAL Paris), EU/regional funding-supported internationalization (IGAPE Plan Foexga, FEDER co-financing), and direct enterprise sales for private-label deals. Customer segments include B2B private-label partners, retail end-consumers of own brands, and international export markets; no named enterprise customers are disclosed.

Name

Conservas Cerqueira

Legal name

Conservas Cerqueira, S.A.

Website

https://paypay.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Canned Seafood Manufacturing

NAICS

Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (311710)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Canned & Shelf-Stable Seafood (Tuna, Sardines, Salmon, Retort Pouches) (AFANALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Shellfish Value-Added Products (Shucked Oysters, Mussels, Clams; Cooked/Marinated) (AFANALAK), Shellfish Processing (Shrimp, Crab, Lobster, Mollusks) (AFANADAC), Surimi & Minced Fish Products (Imitation Crab, Fish Paste) (AFANADAG)

Keywords

• Canned seafood
• Private label seafood
• Tuna canning
• Shellfish preserves
• Seafood manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Vigo

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Private-label manufacturing: Manufacturing canned seafood products under customer brand names. Specialists in development, processing, and manufacturing of private-label products for partners worldwide.
2. Own brand product sales: Production and sale of canned seafood products under own brands including Pay Pay, Ramona, Buenos Días, and La Lola.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Conservas Cerqueira manufactures and markets canned seafood products — including tuna, white tuna, sardines, mussels, cockles, calamari, squid, and specialty seafood — under its proprietary brands Pay Pay, Pay Pay Serie Oro, Ramona, Buenos Días, and La Lola for retail consumers. In parallel, the company offers private-label and contract manufacturing services ("Desarrollamos tu marca") for international retailers, producing retailer-branded canned seafood through its dual production facilities.

Product overview

Conservas Cerqueira operates as a food manufacturing company producing canned seafood products under multiple brands. The portfolio consists of the primary Pay Pay brand (including its premium Serie Oro sub-line), alongside own brands Ramona and Buenos Días, and the internationally-focused La Lola brand. The company also offers private-label manufacturing services for partners. Product categories span tuna products (light tuna, white tuna, bonito, tuna belly), cephalopods (stuffed calamari, squid tentacles, calamari pieces), shellfish (mussels from Galician Rías and Chilean mussels, cockles, clams, razor clams, scallops), sardines and small sardines, and specialty items (surimi, fish roe, tuna dip). The Vigo and Rianxo production facilities together have capacity for over 700,000 cans per day.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pay Pay Serie Oro (Gold Series): Premium product line featuring the finest selections from the sea, including white tuna belly, cockles, small sardines, and mussels in escabeche.

Products and services

• Pay Pay Proprietary consumer brand offering canned tuna, sardines, shellfish, and cephalopod products for retail consumers in Spain and international markets.
• Pay Pay Serie Oro Premium sub-line of the Pay Pay brand offering higher-end canned seafood products for retail consumers.
• Ramona Proprietary consumer brand of Conservas Cerqueira offering canned seafood products for retail distribution.
• Buenos Días Proprietary consumer brand of Conservas Cerqueira offering canned seafood products for retail distribution.
• La Lola Proprietary consumer brand of Conservas Cerqueira offering canned seafood products for retail distribution.
• Private Label / Contract Manufacturing ("Desarrollamos tu marca") B2B service in which Conservas Cerqueira develops, produces, and packages canned seafood products under retailer or third-party brands, leveraging the company's dual production facilities and 50M+ annual can capacity.
• Light Tuna (Atún Claro) Canned light tuna (skipjack) product sold under the company's consumer brands for retail and private-label customers.
• White Tuna (Atún Blanco) Canned white tuna (albacore) product sold under the company's consumer brands for retail and private-label customers.
• White Tuna Belly (Ventresca de Atún Blanco) Premium canned white tuna belly product sold under the company's consumer brands.
• Stuffed Calamari (Calamares Rellenos) Canned stuffed calamari product sold under the company's consumer brands for retail and private-label customers.
• Mussels from Rías (Mejillones de las Rías) Canned mussels sourced from Galician rías (estuaries) sold under the company's consumer brands for retail and private-label customers.
• Chilean Mussels (Mejillones Chilenos) Canned mussels of Chilean origin sold under the company's consumer brands for retail and private-label customers.
• Sardines (Sardinas) Canned sardines product sold under the company's consumer brands for retail and private-label customers.
• Small Sardines (Sardinillas) Canned small sardines (sardinillas) product sold under the company's consumer brands for retail and private-label customers.
• Cockles (Berberechos) Canned cockles product sold under the company's consumer brands for retail and private-label customers.
• Calamari Pieces (Trozos de Calamar) Canned calamari pieces product sold under the company's consumer brands for retail and private-label customers.
• Giant Squid Tentacles (Tentáculos de Potón) Canned giant squid (potón) tentacles product sold under the company's consumer brands for retail and private-label customers.
• Surimi Canned surimi product sold under the company's consumer brands for retail and private-label customers.
• Fish Roe (Huevas) Canned fish roe product sold under the company's consumer brands for retail and private-label customers.
• Tuna Dip (Paté de Atún) Canned tuna pâté/dip product sold under the company's consumer brands for retail and private-label customers.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MecaluxcoreTechnology or Integration · 18 September 2024Collaboration with Mecalux resulted in the installation of an automatic warehouse system at the new Rianxo plant for storing frozen raw materials. The facility features a Pallet Shuttle Automatic System with capacity for 3,000 pallets in cold storage and 5,000 pallets in dry storage.
• IGAPE (Instituto Galego de Promoción Económica)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerInternationalization support through Plan Foexga (Plan de Fomento de las Exportaciones Gallegas) for participation in 2024-2025 programs, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) under the Operational Program FEDER Galicia 2021-2027. Previous participation in Foexga 2019-2020 and 2016-2017 programs.
• ANFACO-CECOPESCAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partner in R&D projects including MYTITOX and SINTOX focused on seafood safety and quality.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Frinsa: Spanish canned seafood group producing tuna, sardines and shellfish for private-label and own-brand customers, including the acquisition of Conservas Garavilla. Direct competitor in Iberian private-label canned seafood with similar customer profile.
• Conservas Albo: Historic Spanish canned seafood brand from Galicia producing tuna, sardines, mussels and shellfish. Comparable on Galician canned seafood heritage and premium branded positioning.
• Jealsa: Spanish canned seafood manufacturer headquartered in Rianxo (same town as Conservas Cerqueira's new plant), producing tuna, sardines, mussels and cephalopods for own-brand and private-label customers across Europe. Directly comparable on product mix, customer base, and Iberian manufacturing footprint.
• Grupo Calvo: One of Europe's largest canned tuna and seafood producers with branded (Calvo, Caracolitos) and private-label offerings. Closely comparable in product category, Galician/Spanish heritage, and dual branded/private-label business model.
• Conservas Garavilla: Historical Basque/Spanish canned tuna and seafood manufacturer (now part of Frinsa group) producing canned bonito, tuna, sardines and shellfish. Closely comparable on canned seafood product mix and Spanish heritage.
• Pinhais & Cª: Portuguese artisanal canned seafood producer (sardines, tuna, mackerel) with strong brand equity and premium positioning. Comparable on canned seafood category, premium artisanal positioning, and Iberian regional heritage.

Broad incumbents

• Century Pacific Food: Philippines-based branded and private-label canned seafood (555, Blue Bay, Bangus) producer with significant international private-label business. Broadly comparable in canned seafood private-label manufacturing model and product mix.
• Thai Union Group: World's largest canned tuna company (Chicken of the Sea, Bumble Bee, John West), a broad incumbent whose canned seafood portfolio overlaps directly with Conservas Cerqueira but at vastly greater scale and global reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/conservas-cerqueira-sa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Conservas Cerqueira