Conservas Ana María receives the innovation award in the Excellence Awards for Rural Women

Conservas Ana María has won the innovation award in the Excellence Awards for Rural Women thanks to the ‘Anchovy Art Gallery’ project with which the artisanal process of making this delicacy has been highlighted. Ana María Fernández is the CEO of Conservas Ana María and explains to us what this award means for the company.

How did you receive this award?

It has been very important because it represents recognition of a long history in which we have dedicated ourselves to quality anchovies. It means highlighting all our work with Conservas Ana María and now also that of the Anchoa Art Gallery.

What makes Conservas Ana María different?

The quality of all our products. For 28 years we have been dedicated to the artisanal production of Cantabrian anchovies and also to preserving them, in addition to having the only art gallery dedicated to anchovies.

What can visitors find when they come to this gallery?

It is a space divided into three phases: the gallery, the store and the cafeteria. In the first, what we wanted to convey to the visitor is the natural habitat of the anchovy. We have created a ship stranded at the bottom of the sea in which the visitor can find a space where they will interact with the five senses and will learn about the entire anchovy production process from the last century to today. from the moment the boat leaves the sea to the can they consume at home.

What reception have they had from visitors?

Very good. It must be taken into account that it is the only Anchovy Art Gallery, our star product. When people come, they are interested in knowing the production process, in how it works. It is a place that is located in an unparalleled, very special environment, offering a sensory experience, and people are fascinated by the environment.

How did the idea of ​​carrying out this project come about?

This is a project that we had had in mind for years. Santoña is one of the first, if not the first, fishing port in northern Spain, a benchmark in the world of anchovies, and the fact that there was not an art gallery dedicated to this product was inconceivable. That’s why we decided to set up a space so that when people came they could know what the production process is like.