Alfocan, pioneer and industry leader

Crayfish fishing in Southern Spain started in the mid-1970s after the Spanish Government (under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment) had introduced the Procambarus clarkii to improve the income and living conditions of the local communities. The surroundings of the Guadalquivir Delta (Seville) with its rice fields and marshlands provided a perfect natural environment for the crayfish to thrive.   

This led to the emergence of the first cooperatives, but the structural shortcomings and the lack of organization and crayfish processing capabilities led to a shift from cooperatives to private enterprise.  

Our story began in the 1980s when our founder Erwin Alderlieste was the first to recognize the potential of the fishery and its development prospects.  

Erwin founded Alfocan in 1987 as the first private company to create a solid organizational base mainly focused on exports. The vision was clear from the beginning: to become leaders and experts in the crayfish industry, committed to providing top-quality products for great value, while respecting the nature that feeds us. 

While deeply rooted in our heritage, our founder’s pioneer spirit lives on and is the driving force of our quest to explore the world and offer you the best prime quality crayfish. 

Indeed, we increase our products’ added value and guarantee a constant supply to our clients by diversifying our products and sourcing strategies. As a result of our expansion strategy in 2017 we established our second production plant in Egypt in collaboration with local partners. 

With our plants in Spain and Egypt, both equipped with modern and efficient equipment, and our agreements with Chinese producers, we manage an annual production capacity of over 4,800 tons, always guaranteeing the highest quality Alfocan crayfish.  

The continuous improvement in quality control and sustainability and their compliance with increasingly demanding legal requirements ensures Alfocan’s position as a leader in the sector well ahead of its competitors. In 2008, Alfocan was first awarded with the IFS (Higher Level) certification, and during 2009 it strengthened and completed its food security system with the BRC (Grade A) certification. It is currently certified with both norms along with the ISO 14001, making Alfocan the only company in the sector to hold these three quality management certifications. 

Thanks to this range of quality certificates, Alfocan has been able to maintain and even expand its position as a leading supplier of crayfish in Europe. More than mere industrial standards, every audit and renewal confirms our commitment to quality standards which directly benefits our customers. They rely on our wide-ranging and unique product portfolio that is based on: 

– a crayfish specialization acquired over more than 35 years of experience 

– a rigorous selection of raw material 

– a mastering of the preparation process 

– guaranteed food safety and traceability processes 

– our care for our environment and our communities 

And as a company with an international focus, ALFOCAN exports most of its crayfish to Europe (i.e., France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, the UK) and the USA.