Galician octopus distributor honours female industry pioneers

APulpeira is a Galician octopus processor named in honour of the women who pioneered the octopus industry in Spain for generations, explained Carlos Quintela from the company. Historically, women oversaw the production and cooking of Galician octopus, and only in the last twenty years did men become “pulpeiros.” e name of the company is feminine to honour the women’s work. Most of the octopus the company imports come from Morocco and Mauritania. A very low quantity of their octopus comes from Galicia because the region cannot produce enough to meet the demand. e company processed between 500 and 600 tonnes of octopus just last year. We must import octopus to sustain the industrial level at which we produce, says Mr Quintela. He explained that the octopus is frozen when it arrives at their facilities. Any residual sand is washed o , and then the octopus is cut. e company mainly supplies restaurants, hotels, and catering companies all over Spain, but Mr Quintela also discussed their partnership with Pescanova, who uses A Pulpeira’s octopus and makes dishes with their own recipes which are then sold to supermarkets. A Pulpeira sells octopus which has been cooked in vacuum packaging without seasoning. e octopus is simply cooked and then refrigerated. is way, the octopus can be put in the microwave for a minute or so, and then it is ready to be seasoned. is technology is commonly used for meat, but it is rarer with seafood products, so they are particularly excited to have recently implemented this modern cooking technology. In the interests of sustainability A Pulpeira has restricted their harvesting dates. ey used to harvest octopus yearround, but now they only harvest between December and March, and again between July and September when it is safe to do so, and in line with sustainable shing practices. Mr Quintela reported that consumption of octopus had stabilized in recent years, though he sees consumption spiking in the summer months when many tourists visit Spain. refrigerated. e company is currently producing between 2,000-3,000 kilos per month. Mr Gómez said that this was the company’s rst year at the seafood show, and he was excited about the positive impacts their attendance at the show might have on the company.