The Saltery
Gösta Hannell founded the fish saltery in Skagshamn in the 1940s, during the height of World War II. Skagshamn, with its own harbor and pier, is beautifully located along the High Coast and was well suited for a saltery. Fish were plentiful, but during the war it was difficult to obtain tin cans to store the fish in. Gösta Hannell saw the potential in his fish, but also the consequences of packaging limitations, and so he took the matter into his own hands and started producing tin cans.
At first, used cans from the military were employed as material, later new tinplate. Production of cans steadily increased and new machines were purchased. Cans were also manufactured for other salteries. Gösta Hannell’s cans were larger than those of other manufacturers so that the fish could lie flat and comfortably until it was to be eaten. Curved fish, in other words, were not acceptable to Gösta. The saltery is a combination of craftsmanship and modern industry that leaves no one unaffected.
From catch to finished product
Our local fishing boats set out as soon as the ice has broken in April–May and return with the catch directly to the pier in Skagshamn. There, our salters select the finest herring. The fish is crucial for the outcome when making fermented herring. If the herring is too fatty, fermentation becomes difficult; if it is too lean, there is not much food.
The fish then runs through the cleaning machines where head, gills, and entrails are removed before salt is added.
The herring is first soaked in a saturated brine for one to two days and then placed in large barrels with a weaker brine for fermentation. This process takes six to eight weeks, and the art lies in knowing when the herring is fully fermented. The salters taste the barrels regularly and use all five senses: touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste. They can even hear when the fish is ready. Then it roars like a waterfall inside the barrel when they knock on it.
In the past, the weather dictated how the fermentation would proceed, but with new technology such as heat pumps and fans, fermentation is now more controlled. An ancient craft meets the future.
From the depths to the can
The herring that arrives first is often ready last, because it is caught in deeper, colder water. It is also slightly fattier and has not yet slimmed down after spawning.
We “can” the fully fermented herring when schools close for summer, making us an important first workplace for many young people. This work continues for about a month. Nimble fingers fill the cans, which are topped with just the right amount of brine. In the packaging room, our noble herring is packed into half and quarter cans as well as fillets. Thereafter, they are placed into our well-known Röda Ulven boxes, ready to be delivered to customers.
Sustainable fishing for the future
Our responsibility begins long before the fish reaches our saltery in Skagshamn. We fish responsibly to minimize the impact on the marine environment and ensure that only the best fish are chosen for our products. In this way, we can continue to offer our customers the highest quality fermented herring while contributing to more sustainable fishing for future generations.
In collaboration with our suppliers, we have developed a method that makes it possible to mix in the same fish species (Clupea harengus) from new fishing zones such as the southern Baltic Sea and the West Coast, while maintaining quality. Just like before, they are caught during a specific period of the year, when the fat content of the fish is at the same level as the locally caught fish. The fish must also meet quality requirements in terms of size and firmness in order to withstand the delicate fermentation process. Primarily, we fish locally, and we follow supply and regulations closely. All Röda Ulven products are taste-tested by all our salters as well as externally. Expanding the catch area is necessary to meet sustainability requirements, to be able to satisfy demand with catches of the right quality, and to secure the future of fermented herring. We work toward a sustainable production process within today’s environmental requirements, without compromising on taste or quality.
We are IP-certified, which means that our production meets the quality requirements set by both authorities and customers.
