The pelagic fish company, Varðin P/F, was established in 1985 in the Faroese village of Gøta. Men from the village came together to build the purse seine and trawl ship, Tróndur í Gøtu, named after the famous Viking from Faroese saga. With this ship, the foundations of Varðin, were laid. Tróndur í Gøtu went on its maiden voyage on the 19th of January 1987.
Early years
The company got off to a rough start because of unpredictability in the pelagic fish stocks and volatile seafood market prices. In the early 1990s fortunes turned for the better, and Varðin experienced growth throughout the 1990s and 2000s. The company acquired larger quotas and expanded the fishing fleet. By 2010, Varðin was the largest vessel owner in the pelagic fish industry in the Faroe Islands. Varðins fishing fleet consists of 4 state of the art ships equipped with seine nets, modern pelagic trawls, advanced pumps, quality inspection work stations, and superior RSW cooling systems.
Vertical integration
In 2011, Varðin and Delta Seafood – one of the most experienced and respected seafood processors in the Faroese white fish industry, established the pelagic processing plant, Varðin Pelagic, in Tvøroyri. The combined knowledge and experience of this cooperation gives us a competitive edge in terms of product quality, production efficiency, and price. When built, Varðin Pelagic was one of the most advanced pelagic processing plants in the world. Production started in August 2012. The factory specializes in producing superior quality Atlantic mackerel, Atlantic herring, blue whiting, and capelin. Because of our high-quality products and reliable delivery, we quickly attracted customers worldwide.
The rebuild
In June 2017 Varðin Pelagic was devastated by a fire, and the entire factory was consumed by flames. A complete rebuild from scratch was required to get Varðin Pelagic up and running again. Shortly after the fire, the board decided that the rebuild would commence. Although production came to a complete stop, there was a silver lining to the tragedy. The disaster offered a unique opportunity to take the entire processing plant back to the drawing board and use the knowledge and experience gain from the old factory to build a new and enhanced factory in its place. If Varðin Pelagic wasn’t already the world’s most advanced pelagic processing plant, it certainly is now. The entire factory was streamlined to optimize production flow and product quality.
Varðin Pelagic started production again in August 2018, just over a year after burning. The new factory is fully automated, equipped with advanced cooling systems and quick-freezing technology. After a year of production and adjustments, Varðin Pelagic was fully optimized and running at full capacity.