Sardines
Santo Amaro
Santo Amaro is a US company (San Diego, founded 1930 by Madeiran immigrant João 'John' Nunes Freitas) selling wild-caught sardines hand-packed in Portugal, at a premium price point.
Sardines wild-caught and hand-packed in Portugal; Freitas family, fourth generation. (A US-registered company with Portuguese production.)
At a glance
| Country | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1930 1930 is the founding year of the company itself, in San Diego, California — not a Portuguese cannery founding date. See ownership note below. |
| Company | Family business (Freitas family) |
| Price | $$$$ — luxury |
| Species | Sardina pilchardus (European pilchard) — the EU-reserved name for a true sardine |
| Made at | A Poveira, Póvoa de Varzim |
Notable facts
- Founded 1930 in San Diego by João 'John' Nunes Freitas, a Madeiran immigrant whose fishing heritage traced back generations to the Portuguese village of Paúl do Mar.
- The company's first vessel, named Santo Amaro after the patron saint of Paúl do Mar, supplied New Deal food-aid programs during the Great Depression.
- Now a fourth-generation Freitas family business; its sardines are wild-caught and hand-packed in Portugal, not the US.
- Premium US retail pricing: roughly $17.99-$20.99 per tin, with a $39.99 sampler 6-pack.
- No dedicated press/media kit page was found on santoamaro.com.
Behind the tin
Santo Amaro is packed at A Poveira in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal.
Made in the same cannery: Minerva, Miss Can.
Origin
Santo Amaro is corporately a US company: it was founded in San Diego in 1930 by João "John" Nunes Freitas, a Madeiran immigrant whose family's fishing heritage traced back generations to the Portuguese village of Paúl do Mar. Freitas led a group of fellow immigrants to California in 1929, and the following year launched their first fishing vessel — named Santo Amaro after Paúl do Mar's patron saint — which went on to supply New Deal food-aid programs during the Great Depression.
Now run by the fourth generation of the Freitas family, Santo Amaro sells sardines that are wild-caught and hand-packed in Portugal, positioned as a premium product at US retail prices well above most Portuguese-cannery tins.
Products
Virgin Olive Oil Sardines, Lightly Smoked
Lightly smoked.
Where to buySardines in Tomato Sauce
Sardines in Olive Oil & Piri Piri
Sardines in Spring Water
Spicy Tomato Sauce with Piri Piri
Olive Oil with Lisbon Lemon
Lemon-finished.
Where to buyExtra Virgin Olive Oil Sardines
Compiled from public reporting and the brand's own materials.
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