As explained by the promoters during the presentation held in Berriatua (Bizkaia), the launch of this project responds to a shared vision: to consolidate a model that allows for greater added value in Euskadi, to strengthen sea-related activities, and to improve the position of the Basque fishing sector in a context of changing markets and consumption habits.
One of the main values of Kofradia Basque Seafood is that it connects the fleet, industry, and market more robustly. This enables progress towards a model with greater transformation capacity, ensuring greater control over the product and generating higher returns for the production network linked to both ports and fishing.
“"Kofradia Basque Seafood is a shared commitment to give greater strength to the sector and to position Basque fish in a position of greater value, greater future, and greater transformation capacity."
Amaia Barredo, Minister of Food, Rural Development and Fisheries, emphasized that the project aligns the fleet, industry, and market within the same strategy, strengthening elements increasingly important for the sector and citizens, such as quality, food safety, traceability, and resource control. Norberto Emazabel, representing the guilds of Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia, stated that they have moved from participating in the chain to having a transversal role in all its stages, integrating capture, transformation, and commercialization to offer a product with full guarantees of quality, traceability, and sustainability.
The Kofradia Basque Seafood initiative has been established with an initial investment of approximately three million euros, with the forecast of creating 25 direct jobs in its initial phase. Its industrial structure will be based on three plants located in Berriatua (Bizkaia), Getaria (Gipuzkoa), and Bermeo (Bizkaia), from where it will develop its activity related to fresh, frozen, and processed fish. The new company will focus on transformation and added value, with the capacity to develop new formats and solutions adapted to current market demands, and incorporating advanced preservation and processing technologies, such as individual quick freezing (IQF), which allows maintaining product quality and enhancing its year-round availability.
This project also aligns with a main objective shared by the Department of Food, Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries and the sector: to facilitate access to fish consumption, especially among new generations, through formats and solutions adapted to current habits, without compromising quality, safety, and connection to the product of origin. In this way, the Basque Government and the Basque inshore fishing sector maintain their collaborative work to give greater solidity to the sector, reinforce its long-term viability, and continue building a stronger and more territorially linked food chain capable of generating more value in Euskadi.
