Fishermen

and traders 2.0

Cousins Manel Balfegó and Pere-Vicent Balfegó, co-Presidents of the companies that make up Grup Balfegó are the fifth generation of a family of fishermen in the village of l’Ametlla de Mar. They are also the captains of their respective tuna fishing vessels.

In 2002, moved by their entrepreneurial spirit and together with their respective wives, they decide to partner up and define a new company strategy by starting a trading company to sell their own catch and investing on an innovative aquaculture project.

Thanks to this project, the Balfegos have become leaders in the high-quality, fresh bluefin tuna export market. Their product is served at the top restaurants in more than 20 countries worldwide.

Such was the inception of Grup Balfegó. By combining tradition and innovation, we close the circle from the origin of the product all the way to the end consumer, creating a management model that has become a reference in the 21st century.

Currently the group of companies employs a team of more than 180 people with top credentials and talent.

Its mission is the capture, feeding, studuying and trading of bluefin tuna, under a sustainable corporate social responsibility system that constantly fulfills the expectations of its customers while ensuring the continuity of this species for the benefit of future generations.

Several corporate values stand out – commitment to fulfilling the clients’ and the wider society’s expectations in a sustainable way; responsibility beyond strict compliance with laws and other obligations; eficiency, because the resources upon which we act deserve an attitude of constant self-improvement that guarantees maximum yields; transparency, by making available all the information that consumers and society demand.

origins

All the peoples that have lived on the Mediterranean shore along thousands of years have fished and eaten bluefin tuna in a variety of ways.

So did people living in the vicinity of l’Ametlla de Mar, where bluefin tuna used to be captured using the system of fixed nets called almadrava in Catalan.

During this period in which all navigation was done by sail, the Balfego family started to develop a bluefin tuna fishing method using [xarxes de deriva], called tonaires.

During the 70’s the Balfegos start to venture into the purse-seine method to capture bluefin tuna. Finally, in the 80’s they make the big decision to focus exclusively on this highly specialized system.

Since the begining of this century, Grup Balfegó has continuously adapted its activity to the latest technological advances, market preferences and regulatory frame developments in order to preserve both the profitability of its activity and the competitiveness of a high-quality, sustainable product.

Currently the village of l’Ametlla de Mar harbors the only six purse-seiners authorized to capture bluefin tuna in the whole of Spain.

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Milestones

First bluefine tuna fishing license obtained by a purse-seiner in Spain.

First live bluefin tuna transfer from a purse-seiner to an aquacultural pool in the whole Mediterranean region.

First to achieve total electronic traceability for each individual tuna and all its parts.

First to document post-capture reproductive activity in bluefin tuna.