Can you believe it has been 100 years since Gold Seal began canning salmon? In 1918 we began our west coast adventures at the Home Plant cannery built in the heart of Vancouver’s waterfront. At that time Gold Seal specialized in just one type of canned seafood…you guessed it – salmon!
Early Days
Since its early days, Gold Seal has set the bar high as a trailblazing industry leader. This innovative spirit led to a number of notable highlights throughout the company’s history. In 1927, Gold Seal created the first fisheries research laboratory in Canada to control and improve product quality, as well as to develop new products and processes.
With popularity growing to new heights it wasn’t long before Gold Seal diversified their product offerings and began providing canned seafood items like sardines and mackerel.
Always on the hunt for a good catch, Gold Seal first employed a relatively unknown artist by the name of Walt Disney in the 1940s to design some of its first print ads and promotional characters.
With the brand’s growing popularity and success over the following years, it soon caught the eye of the third largest privately held company in Canada, and in 1984, Gold Seal became part of the Jim Pattison Group. This partnership, which still exists today, provided opportunities for expanded distribution throughout Canada.
Sustainability Achievements
In addition to innovation, Gold Seal is committed to ocean conservation. To solidify this commitment all of our salmon is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), an independent, non-profit organization which sets standards for sustainable fishing and habitat protection.
In 2012 Greenpeace acknowledged our ongoing commitment by including Gold Seal in their annual sustainability ranking of Canadian canned seafood brands! This was a big step forward for sustainability but we didn’t stop there! Our next step was to become a Certified B Corporation. In March of 2019 we proudly joined over 2900 other companies in 150 industries in 64 countries throughout the world with the same goal: to drive a global movement of using business as a force for good. It’s part of our ongoing commitment to social and environmental responsibility & stewardship.
What a trip it has been so far. We can’t wait to see what the next hundred years brings!
Sources:
https://www.msc.org/what-we-are-doing/our-approach/what-is-sustainable-fishing
https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/many-canned-tuna-brands-getting-more-sustainable-1.1178922
http://www.canadiangrocer.com/top-stories/greenpeace-ranks-canadas-tuna-brands-3864