Illustrated Coastal scene inspired by Galicia, near Ribeira.

Frinsa

Ribeira, Galicia, Spain

Frinsa is a Galician cannery founded in 1961 in Ribeira, now part of the large Grupo Frinsa, which sells its sardine range under the Minerva sub-brand.

At a glance

Country	Spain
Region	Galicia
City	Ribeira
Founded	1961 Founded 1961 in Ribeira by Ramiro Carregal Rey as "Frigoríficos del Noroeste, S.A.," originally an industrial refrigeration plant for the fishing fleet; renamed Frinsa del Noroeste, S.A. in 2002 as the group expanded into canning.
Company	Family-founded cannery (Grupo Frinsa)
Price	$$ — mid-range
Species	Sardina pilchardus (European pilchard) — the EU-reserved name for a true sardine
Owner	Frinsa del Noroeste

Notable facts

Founded 1961 in Ribeira by Ramiro Carregal Rey as an industrial refrigeration plant ("Frigoríficos del Noroeste"); renamed Frinsa del Noroeste in 2002.
Grupo Frinsa now runs seven plants in Ribeira and employs roughly 2,000 people, making it one of Spain's largest canned-seafood groups.
Sardines are sold under the Minerva sub-brand, including an organic ("Bio") olive-oil line and sardine pâtés.
Certifications referenced on-site include MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) and Friend of the Sea sustainable-fishing standards.
No dedicated press/media kit page was found on frinsa.es or grupofrinsa.com.

Behind the tin

The brand is owned by Frinsa del Noroeste.

Origin

Frinsa began in 1961 in Ribeira as Frigoríficos del Noroeste, an industrial refrigeration plant founded by Ramiro Carregal Rey to let the fishing fleet land and freeze catch year-round rather than only in season. The business grew into Grupo Frinsa, renamed Frinsa del Noroeste in 2002, and today runs seven plants in Ribeira with roughly 2,000 employees — one of the larger canned-seafood operations in Spain.

Frinsa's sardine range is sold under its Minerva sub-brand: plain, spicy-with-pickles, tomato, lemon, and escabeche styles alongside an organic "Bio" olive-oil line and two sardine pâtés, plain and spicy.