The Cantabrian Sea beats fiercely against the rocks of Getaria, but inside the dock, the water is calm.
It is here, in the port of Getaria, where the Irizabal Arrainak project started, grew and developed.
After four decades, we are sector leaders in the purchase and distribution of fresh oily fish, on a national and international level.
We combine tradition and our experience with new working methods, and our main aim is to distribute quality fish so that it reaches markets and thousands of homes.
Oily fish
Quality working method
At Irizabal Arrainak, we work with oily fish.
There are three pearls in our sea: Atlantic mackerel, anchovies and longfin tuna. But we also trade other fish, such as tuna, sardines, jack mackerel and Atlantic chub mackerel.
Our main raw material is fish caught in the Cantabrian Sea using traditional methods. We believe it is of strategic importance to carry on working this way, with a view to ensuring the biodiversity and sustainability of our waters.
Both day and night
Looking out to sea
Once the fish is caught, it is immediately put on ice to protect the preservation chain and ensure it reaches the port in perfect condition.
Irizabal Arrainak is strategically located just 3 km from our freezer plant, Congelados Sorymar, which allows us to provide a more extensive service in terms of technological resources.
Years of consistent dedication have resulted in our close personal relationship with the fishing sector in Getaria and the rest of the Cantabrian Sea, which means we receive first-hand information every day.
Our advantage
Sea water has toughened our skin
The Cantabrian Sea has defined the career of MARIANO LARRAZABAL ALKORTA, the man at the heart of Irizabal Arrainak. If you look at his life and career, you will notice his special instinct and wisdom, and how he has applied them to make the company grow.
He was 11 years old when he started working at a fishery in Getaria as a txalupa-mutil, or apprentice. His adolescence played out among nets, fishhooks and bait, allowing him to explore the full length of the Cantabrian coast and the world of fishing from the inside.
The sea deposited him back on land at the age of 20, but he did not go far from the port, as he soon began work as a fish haulier. Mariano is a clear example of a worker who, little by little, built up his own business project.
Since 1984
A solid company in Getaria
Irizabal was founded in 1984, and Mariano has been the company's cornerstone. He has believed in this project since the beginning and shown a keen instinct for the fishing business.
The pathways that opened up towards the end of the 20th century, to trade fresh fish in Greece, Turkey and France, all bear his signature.
And yet, no ship navigates alone. Mariano has built a solid company around him, and shares his extensive knowledge with highly qualified staff who are experts in the world of quality fish and how to trade it well.
All the knowledge acquired over the course of these years is Irizabal's hallmark. And that is how we will go on, while the waves continue spraying sea foam over the rocks of our town.
