How it started...
‘The Cornish Canning Co.’ has been a long project, in development since 2010, when I, Chris ‘Ranger,’ launched a small bar snacks concept, harking back to days of pickled cockles in pubs and special visits to Hastings Seafront.
The ‘Shellfish Bar Steward Snacks’ were simply pickled mussels in small glass jars sold at my early ‘Pop Up Gatherings’. As a caterer I had the product tested and approved for short shelf life, but I wanted a longer shelf life for more of Cornwall’s delicious, albeit very seasonal and very perishable, foods.
During the following years, I discussed the idea many times with my Port Health (Environmental Health) Officer, as well as many landlords, chefs, and shop owners. While I carried out some product testing in my ‘Pop Up Restaurant’ it was apparent that it needed a lot more work than I first imagined, as this flow chart explains:
Image Courtesy of: Institute of Food Science & Technology
In July 2018, I sailed my little oyster boat (26ft/8m), the Alf Smythers, solo across the English Channel, through the notorious Chanel du Four, and into Douarnenez for the Temps Fete Maritime Festival, and was welcomed by a couple of old fishermen, who were astonished at the "intrepid" passage in an open boat... and this is where I was introduced to the industrial world of canning, as Douarnenez is the home of the first known fish cannery in the 1850s, it is also home to one of the key manufacturers for the industry, the company that makes the tins... Read more about this in the new blog - Revisiting Douarnenez in 2026, and sharing a few tins with the man that opened the first tin to where I am now, cheers Mael...
It was only really thanks to the ‘Co-op Foundation’s Carbon Innovation Fund 2022’, that I could present my concept, luckily, they supported the mantra “eliminating ‘low yield high nutritional value’ food waste, harnessing renewable energy in manufacturing and reducing carbon emissions in the delivery network” and they funded a few upgrades to the kitchen and a fantastic purpose made irregular can seamer. In addition, they have also funded a solar panel & wind turbine battery storage system, so the manufacturing is carbon energy free.
In 2022 we completed the kitchen (including new electric system), designed the ‘sardine style cans’, joined ‘Campden BRI’ Food Innovation and completed essential training in ‘Safe Production of Heat Preserved Foods’ with “distinction”…
…So, incorporated formally in 2022 to protect the business name, the 'Cornish Canning Co Ltd.’ was given
'conditional approval' with the number GB CQ735 on 31st March 2023, making it the first approved in-house cannery in ENGLAND and therefore CORNWALL since the 1980-2000ish with Cornish Canners in Newlyn,
then went into final product development phase between April-July 2023, and had the first products on the market for the Rock Oyster Festival at the end of July 2023.
The 'Cornish Canning Co Ltd.' was officially Fully Approved on 16th August 2023, the first to do 'everything in-house' including food processing, Level 3 Food Manufacturing, canning, thermal validation, HACCP protocol, and finally product release!