The Brunswick® Story

Our Family Tradition of Quality Lives On.

It all began more than 125 years ago, in a small Canadian fishing village, when brothers Lewis and Patrick Connors took their small boat into the cool, clear waters off the coast of New Brunswick.  

What began as a way for the Connors brothers to feed their family high-quality, nutritious food quickly grew into a passion to share their wholesome discovery with the rest of the world. Soon, they began harvesting the Sardine-sized herring that appeared in the Bay of Fundy each summer. From there, they quickly expanded into learning the latest canning technology to preserve and sell their seafood.

We’ve come a long way from our humble beginnings on a small boat. But first and foremost, we’re still a family business at heart. And our focus on providing quality nutrition to families throughout Canada, the Caribbean, and around the world remains as strong as the day we first began.

Brunswick® and the Caribbean.

Over 70 years ago, our obsession with providing families with healthier options led us to provide food aid to the West Indies after a natural disaster. Since then, generations of West Indians have grown up with Brunswick® Sardines and the tasty flavours we’ve created just for them.

Brunswick® Today

We operate in over 50 countries around the world and are part of North America’s largest branded seafood company. We also carry a complementary line of canned meat products for further growth in shelf-stable proteins.

Good As Gold.

As a leading international brand, Brunswick® features high-quality Sardines, Tuna, Salmon, and other specialties. While oil and water variants are the mainstay of the Sardine and Tuna portfolios, we also offer a wide range of flavourful sauces.

A Taste of Canada.

Our premium product line includes a select group of Product of Canada Sardines along with a variety of products sourced around the globe such as Red and Pink Salmon, Tuna, and Mackerel.

The Tuna lineup includes chunk light Skipjack formats in both water and oil. The line is complemented by a variety of flavoured Tuna products.

 

Brunswick® Quality

Brunswick® offers a variety of canned seafood products, and although canning and cooking methods vary from one product to another, they must all pass strict quality control measures before they earn the Brunswick® label.

Brunswick® Quality Assurance.

An integral component of Brunswick® Quality Assurance is our intensive supplier and product assessment program. Brunswick® will only source product from manufacturing facilities that meet or exceed our company standards.

We’re proud to be the only marketer of canned seafood products in Canada that has full-time quality assurance and procurement staff in South East Asia (where the majority of Tuna and specialty products are sourced).

All manufacturing facilities supplying Brunswick® products must operate under internationally-recognized Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) food safety principles. All facilities are routinely put through a rigorous inspection to ensure that they continue to measure up to our standards.

Achieving the desired results is accomplished by utilizing the expertise of Brunswick® Technical Services and Quality Assurance departments.

The combination of industry experience, science based quality assurance systems and inspection throughout the life cycle of our products is your guarantee of the safety and high quality you’ve come to expect from a brand leader like Brunswick®.

Sustainability

The ocean is the key to our past.
And our future.

That’s why we’re proud to have been a leader in implementing policies that promote sustainable management of the world’s seafood species. We’re committed to effecting change that will preserve our precious resources for generations to come.

Developing Sustainable Fisheries.

Our commitment to ensuring the ocean’s long-term sustainability affects every business decision we make. It’s why we’re global leaders in creating, fostering, and leading management initiatives that protect our aquatic resources.

Our approach is science-based. We work closely with third-party experts to assess our various fisheries to ensure that they are being managed in a sustainable manner.

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF).

In addition to internal efforts, our parent company is a founding member of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF), a global partnership among scientists, the Tuna industry, and environmental non-governmental organizations. Its mission is to undertake science-based initiatives for the long-term conservation and sustainable use of Tuna stocks, reducing by-catch and promoting ecosystem health. For more information about ISSF and their proactive initiatives, visit www.iss-foundation.org.

 

Learn About Sardines

 

PACKING

Several types of lines are used to pack Brunswick® Sardines, such as the traditional hand packing line, a semi-automatic packing line, and a fully-automated line.

PRE-COOKING

Cans containing fish are placed onto racks, which are then placed into a pre-cooker which uses steam for cooking, reducing the moisture content and firming the fish.

SEAMING

The cooked cans are taken out of the racks and placed onto the seaming line where Brunswick® delicious sauces are added before the cans are sealed.

RETORTING

The retort is a high-pressure vessel used for cooking and sterilization. Upon completion the cans are removed, drained and cooled before handling. During this stage, the bones in the Sardines (a great source of calcium) are softened.

PACKAGING

The last step of the packing process is to put the cans into the final packaging. Brunswick® products are then shipped to over 50 countries around the world.

QUALITY ASSURANCE

Brunswick® operates under rigorous quality and food safety standards at each stage of the process, including a Quality Management Plan approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), and a Seafood HACCP plan approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

HISTORY OF THE SARDINE INDUSTRY

SUSTAINABILITY

SOURCING AND HARVESTING

PROCESSING

FOOD SAFETY

PART OF A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

TUNA PROCESSING

 

DELIVERY TO THE CANNING PLANT

Tuna is delivered directly from the fishing vessel or from freezer ships. The majority of Tuna delivered is frozen. To maintain quality, it is moved promptly from the vessel into cold storage facilities at the cannery.

SIZING

During the unloading, the fish is ‘sized’ to keep fish of the same size and weight together. This ensures quality during the thawing and precooking process.

THAWING

The processing starts with Tuna being moved from the freezer to thawing tanks – tanks where the Tuna is uniformly thawed prior to cleaning.

PRECOOKING

The thawed Tuna is then loaded onto metal racks and placed into large steam pressure-cooking chambers called retorts for a prescribed time and temperature.

COOLING

After the precook, the racks of Tuna are moved to a temperature-controlled room for cooling.

CLEANING

Once the Tuna is cooled, it is sent to the cleaning tables where the edible meat is removed from skin and bones.

FILLING/CANNING

Moving in a single line, cans are automatically filled with Tuna. This is followed by salt, vegetable broth, water or oil, or other flavours, depending on the style of pack, and finally the lid. Then the cans enter the vacuum sealer, where the air is withdrawn and the lids hermetically sealed.

COOLING

The cans go through a water bath to clean off oil residue. Then they are placed back into retort baskets. After the prescribed cook time and temperature, the sterilized canned Tuna moves to a cooling area.

LABELLING 

When the cans have cooled they are labeled and packed in cartons.

QUALITY ASSURANCE

The day following packing, quality control personnel cut open representative samples and grade them on things like appearance, smell, texture, cleanliness, and flavour. At every stage of processing, quality control measures ensure a high-quality product.

SHIPPING TO MARKET

After receiving Quality Assurance approval, the Tuna is ready to be loaded onto containers and shipped to our customers.