Tin and Brine started with two childhood friends, a shared love of food, and a lot of tinned fish.
How It Started
James and Isaac have been friends since primary school, growing up together on the Sussex coast. Food was often at the centre of things - and like many a British household, tinned fish, of the cheap supermarket kind, made a regular appearance; tuna mayo sandwiches, tuna pasta bake, sardines on toast. But don’t knock it, they still love it!
Discovering Proper Tinned Fish
Things changed when Isaac's Portuguese girlfriend introduced him to proper conservas (the fancy term for tinned fish) - beautifully made tinned fish and seafood that's a genuine culinary tradition in Portugal and Spain. Trips to visit family became trips home with suitcases stuffed full of as many tins (and litres of oil and wine, of course). It didn't take much for James to become hooked too, and Portugal became a regular joint holiday destination, with rather more time spent in local mercearias than on the beach.
A selection of tinned fish in Bolhão market, Porto
A Factory Tour That Changed Everything
The turning point came on a visit to Pinhais, the family-run cannery behind Nuri sardines, in Matosinhos, just outside Porto. Seeing the process in person - still almost entirely done by hand, by a workforce that's around 95% women, many with decades of experience and with parents, grandparents and children who have worked in the same canneries - was a revelation. Pinhais buy their fish fresh from the market each morning, in small enough quantities to protect both the quality and the health of the ocean, and supplied by an Iberian fleet that is MSC certified. It was proof that tinned fish could be something to take seriously: traditional, sustainably sourced, and genuinely delicious.
Racks of sardines in Pinhais cannery
James and Isaac came home determined to bring that same quality and care to UK shelves - and that's how Tin and Brine began: starting small, with big ambitions, and a real excitement about introducing more people to quality tinned fish and seafood.
From Sussex to Bermondsey
Tin and Brine is based in Bermondsey, South East London - a fitting home, as it happens. Bermondsey was home to the world's first commercial cannery, founded back in 1812. Two centuries later, we're carrying on a very local tradition, just with a lot more sardines.
What You'll Find at Tin and Brine
We stock a carefully chosen, sustainably sourced range of tinned fish and seafood from some of the best small producers in Portugal and Spain, including Nuri, Ati Manel, José Gourmet, ABC+, Tenorio, Maruxaina, and Arroyabe.
However, whilst our roots may be Portuguese, we're just as passionate about championing brilliant British tinned seafood, of which Rockfish and Hevva! are two of our favourite brands.
From sardines, mackerel and tuna to squid, octopus and mussels, to salmon, trout and monkfish, our tins span a range of styles and flavours - classic olive oil and extra virgin olive oil, tomato, lightly spiced, curried, escabeche (pickled) and lemon, amongst others.
Whether you're already a tinned fish enthusiast or curious about where to start, we hope you'll find something here worth adding to your cupboard!
And always feel free to reach out to us with feedback, requests or just to say hi!