Illustrated Coastal scene inspired by Matosinhos.

Nuri

Nuri is a Portuguese sardine brand hand-packed since 1920 at the Pinhais cannery in Matosinhos — widely regarded as the world's benchmark tin. Nuri is the export label; Pinhais is the same factory's domestic label.

At a glance

Notable facts

• Hand-packed the traditional way with a slice of pickle, a coin of carrot and a whisper of chili.
• Fish are cooked before canning (the old method), which keeps the fillets firm and intact.
• Peak-season tins are aged like wine by collectors.
• A cannery of roughly 100 employees; exports about 90% of its output.
• 'Nuri' and 'Pinhais' are the export and domestic labels of the same company and cannery, not separate businesses.
• No dedicated press/media kit page was found on either nuriartisanalsardine.com or conservaspinhais.com; the company lists a general commercial contact (comercial@pinhais.pt) for inquiries.

Behind the tin

Nuri is packed at Conservas Pinhais in Matosinhos, Portugal.

Made in the same cannery: Pinhais.

Origin

Nuri is made by Conservas Pinhais in Matosinhos, one of the last canneries on earth still running the fully traditional method — fresh fish cooked before canning, then packed entirely by hand, one fish at a time. The factory, founded in 1920, has run essentially unchanged for over a century, still hand-packing at the same cannery while exporting roughly 90% of what it makes.

Beyond its two best-known tins — plain and spiced sardines in olive oil — the company also packs tomato-sauce variants, a lemon-finished special edition, an extra-spiced olive oil version, sardine roe in oil, and a spicy sardine pâté, mostly sold direct through its own online shop.

Products

Compiled from public reporting and the brand's own materials. Spot something we got wrong? Tell us.
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