The Spanish food company Calvo Group has revolutionized the sector with the launch of a new way of producing, packaging and consuming tuna. The project, the result of an industrial transformation plan active for 4 years with an investment of 30 million euros, led to the development of Real Peel technology and the complete redesign of the production process at the European plant in Carballo, Spain. A new packaging has been created that facilitates the disposal of the entire product and balances the oil dose, adapting to the growing consumer demand for simplicity, health and sustainability.

"Vuelca Fácil is an innovation project with which Grupo Calvo introduces on the market a new method of production, packaging and consumption of tuna, more efficient, sustainable and adapted to consumer requests", says a press release. For Enrique Orge, CEO of Grupo Calvo for Europe, "the new Vuelca Fácil container and the Real Peel technology behind it is the Group's most important commitment over the last 20 years to reinvent the canned fish category". "It is our latest innovation and I would dare to say that it is one of the most important in the history of the company", declared Mané Calvo, CEO of the Group.

In a first phase, Vuelca Fácil will be available in the Spanish market and then be gradually extended to the rest of the markets in which the company operates. "The short term future foresees the launch of the first tuna references with the new packaging and their presentation to our customers. In the medium term we will work to extend the skills acquired in our plant in Europe, to plants in America", stressed Mané Calvo. Four are the main features of the new can: easy dump, which allows you to extract 100% of the product in a simple way; an easier and safer opening with a flexible aluminum cover; reduced quantities of oil that maintain the quantity of tuna; and the increased juiciness of the product. "Our consumers no longer have to break the product to extract it. Now the tuna comes out on its own and whole, with the resulting advantages in presenting, serving and serving”, explained Martín Barbaresi, the Group's marketing director.

Progress also in the field of sustainability with a contribution to climate change: the new packaging has a 35% lower environmental impact than the traditional product. The oil reduction is equal to 15 grams net per can, which however manages to maintain the quantity of tuna. "We know that 3 out of 4 consumers do not add the oil that comes out of the cans to their plate and, at least 37% of them say they throw it down the drain, so it was essential to reduce excess oil", commented Mariví Sánchez director of sustainability and communication. Likewise, Vuelca Fácil complies with the sustainability objectives of the Responsible Commitment 2025 plan, according to which all the tuna marketed by the company, before 2025, will come from responsible and sustainable fishing.

From an engineering point of view, the project involved a complete redesign of the production process and the transformation of the Carballo plant, where 600 employees currently work. Changes have been made throughout the production chain. “It was a major industrial challenge involving a wide variety of technology suppliers and a total transformation of our industrial equipment and IT tools”, said Enrique Mandado, operations director of Grupo Calvo.