What NIGEL Design: TemplateMo does

NIGEL (legal name: Congeladora José Nicolau, Lda) is a Portuguese frozen seafood processor founded in 1958 and headquartered in Peniche, adjacent to one of Portugal's main fishing harbours. The company transforms, freezes, packages, and commercialises fish, shellfish (marisco), and pre-cooked ready meals under the NIGEL Ultracongelados / NIGEL Surgele / NIGEL Deep Frozen brand names. Core product lines include frozen fish, seafood, pre-cooked meals such as Polvo à Lagareiro (Octopus Lagareiro), and a fish burger range launched in 2021 in Salmon, Mackerel, and Breaded variants (89% fish content, no additives, gluten-free). Industrial operations are supported by 18,500 m3 of cold storage capacity, freezing throughput of 8 tonnes/hour, packaging throughput of 5 tonnes/hour, and a 2021 €2.5M investment in automated production and packaging equipment. Quality and food safety are anchored by HACCP (since 1997) and IFS FOOD certification at a 93.10% score (April 2014).

Name

NIGEL Design: TemplateMo

Legal name

Congeladora José Nicolau, Lda

Website

https://nigel.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NIGEL is a Portuguese frozen seafood processor founded in 1958 that transforms, freezes, packages, and markets fish and seafood from its Peniche facility for retail chains, foodservice customers, and export to 20+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Frozen Seafood Processing

NAICS

Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (311710)

SIC

Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092)

akta.pro primary industry

Freezing & Cold-Chain Seafood Processing (IQF, Blast Freezing, Glazing) (AFANADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Breaded/Battered & Fried Seafood Products (Frozen Convenience) (AFANADAH), Frozen Seafood Meals & Value-Added Seafood (CRADADAG)

Keywords

• Frozen seafood processing
• Frozen fish products
• Pre-cooked ready meals
• Fish burgers retail
• Seafood export distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Peniche

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Frozen Fish and Seafood Products: Sale of frozen fish, seafood, and marisco products to retail and foodservice customers domestically and internationally.
2. Pre-cooked Ready Meals: Production and sale of pre-cooked frozen meals including Polvo à Lagareiro and other fish-based ready meals through retail channels.
3. Fish Burgers: Sale of branded fish burgers (Salmon, Mackerel, Breaded) with 89% fish content, no additives, no gluten, available at El Corte Inglés and Continente.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NIGEL is a Portuguese seafood company founded in 1958 that processes, freezes, packages, and markets fish and other seafood products. Operating from an industrial facility in Peniche with 18,500 m3 cold storage, 8 tonnes/hour freezing, and 5 tonnes/hour packaging capacity, the company produces frozen fish, seafood (marisco), pre-cooked ready meals, and branded fish burgers. Products are sold through retail chains such as Continente and El Corte Inglés, and exported to more than 20 countries across 5 continents.

Product overview

NIGEL is a frozen seafood processing company that transforms, freezes, and commercializes fish and other fishing products. Founded in 1958 and based in Peniche, Portugal, the company operates with a portfolio of core product lines: Frozen Fish (Peixe Ultracongelado), Seafood (Marisco), Pre-Cooked/Ready Meals (Pré-Cozinhados/Refeições Prontas), and Fish Burgers (Hambúrgueres de Peixe). The Fish Burgers line includes Salmon, Mackerel, and Breaded Fish varieties, containing 89% fish with no additives and no gluten. Products are sold through major retailers including El Corte Inglés and Continente, and exported to over 20 countries across 5 continents. The company maintains IFS FOOD certification and operates from a modernized industrial facility with cold storage capacity of 18,500 m3, freezing capacity of 8 tonnes/hour, and packaging capacity of 5 tonnes/hour.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Frozen Fish (Peixe Ultracongelado) Deep frozen fish products forming the company's primary product category. Sourced from Peniche harbor and exported to over 20 countries across 5 continents, with IFS FOOD certification.
• Seafood (Marisco) Frozen seafood products including various shellfish and marine products, part of the company's core product portfolio.
• Pre-Cooked Ready Meals (Pré-Cozinhados) Ready-to-eat frozen meals including the flagship Polvo à Lagareiro (Octopus Lagareiro). Sold through retail channels and received positive media coverage in Revista Sábado.
• Fish Burgers (Hambúrgueres de Peixe) Fish burgers available in three varieties: Salmon, Mackerel (Cavala), and Breaded Fish. Contains 89% fish with no additives and no gluten. Developed in partnership with Chef Samuel Sousa. Available at El Corte Inglés and Continente retail stores.

Quantifiable outcome

• IFS certification score of 93.10%
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chef Samuel Sousa (ESTM - Politécnico de Leiria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Chef Samuel Sousa, Professor at ESTM (Politécnico de Leiria) and professional chef, to develop fish burger recipes. Chef Sousa formulated recipes for mackerel burgers in partnership with NIGEL, creating recipes featuring regional Portuguese ingredients like Broa de Milho, Bolo do Caco, Pera Rocha, and Ginja de Óbidos.
• European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (FEAMPA)minorOthersEU-funded projects including MAR-022.5.1-FEAMPA-00135 for mitigating effects of increased production costs, MAR-05.03.01-FEAMP-0097 for industrial competitiveness and technology acquisition, MAR-05.03.01-FEAMP-0206 and MAR-05.03.01-FEAMP-0147 for various operational improvements including COVID-19 contingency planning.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Clearwater Seafoods: Specialized shellfish and frozen seafood processor supplying retail and foodservice globally. Comparable frozen/value-added seafood portfolio and B2B export model to NIGEL.
• Grupo Nueva Pescanova: Spanish/Iberian vertically integrated seafood group with frozen fish, value-added seafood, and prepared meals for retail and foodservice. Closest geographic and product overlap to NIGEL's frozen and prepared seafood portfolio.
• Profand Group: Spanish seafood processor and distributor (Frinsa, Vidal, Mariscos Linamar) producing frozen and prepared seafood products for retail and foodservice across Europe. Comparable in scale, geography, and product mix to NIGEL.
• Pescados Canários: Portuguese fish processing and distribution company supplying fresh and frozen fish to retail and foodservice across Iberia. Direct Iberian peer with overlapping customer base and product categories.
• Jealsa (Grupo Jealsa): Spanish seafood company producing canned and frozen seafood including prepared meals and value-added products for European retail. Comparable Iberian seafood manufacturer with similar retail and foodservice customer mix.

Broad incumbents

• Nomad Foods: European frozen food major owning Birds Eye, Findus, and Iglo brands with extensive frozen seafood and ready meal lines. Comparable retail-focused frozen seafood and ready meal portfolio across Europe.
• High Liner Foods: North American frozen seafood processor selling branded and value-added seafood to retail and foodservice. Comparable product mix in frozen and prepared seafood, though serving different geography.
• Thai Union Group: Global seafood giant producing frozen, canned, and value-added seafood (Chicken of the Sea, King Oscar, John West). Comparable in frozen seafood processing and B2B/retail distribution, but at vastly larger scale.
• Maruha Nichiro: One of the world's largest seafood companies producing frozen, canned, and value-added seafood for retail and foodservice. Comparable frozen seafood and ready meal categories; much larger scale.
• Royal Greenland: Global frozen seafood processor (Greenland/Denmark) with broad frozen fish and value-added seafood portfolio sold across retail and foodservice in Europe. Larger peer with overlapping frozen seafood product categories and European retail reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

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 NIGEL Design: TemplateMo