About José Gourmet
José Gourmet is the brand of artistic boldness in Portuguese tinned fish. The name nods to the Hebrew root of José, "the one who adds," and captures the brand's ambition: to add value to the Portuguese tin, connecting producers, illustrators and consumers.
It was founded in 2008, born of the collaboration between Adriano Ribeiro, a pilot, and Luís Mendonça, a designer, who had met in Macau. Mendonça has signed the brand's design and art direction since the very beginning, and the recognizable visual identity of the tins is his.
Each pack is a collaboration between recipe and illustration. The first twelve illustrators invited were, from Porto, Cristina Valadas, Emílio Remelhe, Gémeo Luís, Inês Oliveira, Marta Madureira and Rui Mendonça; from Lisbon, André Letria, Bernardo Carvalho, Madalena Matoso, João Vaz de Carvalho, Teresa Lima and Yara Kono. The family has since grown to around ninety authors, and every new tin renews the invitation to a Portuguese illustrator.
Production takes place at the 100 Mistérios factory in Matosinhos. The line counts more than fifty references, from classic sardines in olive oil to octopus in piri-piri, codfish in caldeirada, squid stuffed in their own ink, and creamy pâtés. The packaging is made from recycled material, designed to last well after the tin is empty.
The brand stands for fair trade: an honest relationship with producers and with discerning consumers, attentive to origin, quality and craftsmanship. Each tin is, at once, food and object.
