Pontevedra, Spain-based Cíes Pasteurizados is capitalizing on the growing popularity of ready-to-eat and at-home meal-kits.
The company was the first in the country to produce a pasteurized mussel, according to company representative Ana Fernandez. Speaking at Seafood Expo Asia, which ran from 14 to 16 September 2022 at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, Fernandez said Cíes Pasteurizados now also produces pasteurized clams and cockles.
“We’ve worked with pasteurized mussels for more than 24 years,” she said.
The company’s raw materials all come from Valencia, Spain, and its mussels are farmed using a hanging rope method.
“We never use material collected in other places," Fernandez said.
Fernandez said the firm's pasteurized mussels, clams, and cockles come in sealed bags, making them quick and easy to prepare at home.
“People love it because it’s simple to cook say an Italian dish with pasta, Spanish food – paella – and also Asian foods," Fernandez said. "You can heat it a little bit in a microwave, or in a pan, or in the dish you are cooking in. It’s totally natural and fresh, and also healthy because they don’t have any preservatives or additives.”
The company also sells organic mussels certified to E.U. standards with a protected origin designation by Galicia and organic certifications from the European Certification of Bio Agriculture – an E.U. certification allowing commercialization of the organic claim in the region – and a Regulatory Board of Bio Agriculture in Galicia CRAEGA (Consello Regulador de Agricultura Ecoloxica de Galicia).
The company has also branched out into other value-added products, including mussels with a pre-added sauce.
“That is very convenient for life nowadays,” Fernandez said. “It is ready-to-eat also, with tomato sauce or provencal sauce, and you only have to put it in the microwave.”
The company’s “most-important” market at the moment is Asia, and it is aiming to grow sales in the region, a big reason why Cíes Pasteurizados had a presence at Seafood Expo Asia.
“This is the first time that we come to this exhibition,” Fernandez said. “It was great to meet new contacts in this area. We have to work on that and will see in some months, but we are quite happy with the results right now.”
Photo by Chris Chase/SeafoodSource
