S.A.I.S. Ittica – History

It all began in 1959, when six friends, really far-sighted in those days, decided to set up Società Agricola Ittica Meduna to start the activity of fish farming, especially rainbow trout.

The original company underwent various changes over time until, in 1979, the two surviving partners entrusted the management of fish farming to their children who, founding Società Agricola Ittica Selvuzza (S.A.I.S. Srl) contributed to the company’s increasing growth up to its current dimensions.

Fundamental to the development and growth of the entire Group, was the foresight of a worker, Mirella Fossaluzza, who, motivated by her huge passion and innate curiosity for the work she had undertaken, from the surviving founders she inherited all the confidence that enabled her to become the driving force, for everyone, behind the company’s growth and development.

Now, S.A.I.S, with a total surface area of 20,000 square metres dedicated to fish farming is a splendid example of integrated product diversification.

The species bred, some on the plain and some in hilly areas and the mountains, include spring and mountain Rainbow Trout, Grayling, Whitefish and Char.

The markets for fish bred in pure spring water can be found in much of Italy, as well as Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland and France.

Over the years, valuable partnerships have been made with companies that transform farmed fish. Since the early 1980s, S.A.I.S. has been a member of Friulittica, which transforms farmed fish into fresh, frozen and smoked products.

S.A.I.S. also offers important solutions for spawning in public waters such as rivers and ponds for sport fishing, since it has obtained European Class 1 fish farming certifications.

S.A.I.S. Ittica – Quality standards achieved

With a total surface area of approx. 20,000 square metres used for breeding the various species and with a diversified corporate structure comprising about ten facilities, S.A.I.S. breeds and sells, using its own means, live fish products in Italy and other European countries, including France, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Slovenia.

In addition to directly managing its fish farming, from the hatching of eggs that are then purchased by major global suppliers, S.A.I.S. has also forged several important partnerships with companies that process the farmed products.

These include Friulittica, of which S.A.I.S. is a supplying member and a cooperative, situated in Cordenons in the province of Pordenone, which transforms and processes trout into wonderful fresh, frozen and smoked products.

Recent partnerships have been achieved with La Fattoria del Pesce di Cassolnovo and with Trota Oro di Preore based in Trentino Alto Adige.

The species farmed include Rainbow Trout, Alpine Char, Spring Char, Grayling and Whitefish.

Carefully chosen sites for developing the various fish farms, combined with a discerning choice of suppliers, selected throughout more than 50 years in business, have allowed S.A.I.S. to constantly and gradually improve all aspects of quality typical of the different production phases while enabling the company to remain competitive and at the forefront of the market.

The main feature of all the fish farms, located on the plain and in hilly/mountainous areas, is that the production facilities are fed by spring and/or well water, which, are not only of excellent quality and hygiene but also guarantee, over time, the right water flow rate. Moreover, water temperatures are maintained constant throughout all seasons, thus allowing regular breeding activity all year round.

Each facility has nets covering tanks and basins in order to prevent any damage and/or contamination by ichthyophagous birds.
As mentioned above, the EGGS that are then put into our hatcheries are purchased by leading producers worldwide, guaranteeing the best solution in terms of health and safety, thus ensuring that high quality fish is always introduced into our facilities.

The food, consisting of the best extruded feeds with high energy and digestibility, combined with proper management of fish feed, allow production to be optimised, minimising any negative environmental impact.

State-of-the-art technology combined with the careful management of fish stocks allow us to breed fish without neglecting their wellbeing.

The health management of farmed fish tends to favour preventive vaccination, reducing the use of medicated feed to the bare minimum required, with a view to protecting consumers and the aquatic environment.
Almost all the producers in the Group are among the companies whose health status is recognised by the European Union.

All of these aspects are reflected in the aim, which, up to now, has distinguished all the Group’s activities: breeding and selling live fish while complying with and continuously researching the highest standards of quality.

The certificates of assessment and appraisal that our products obtain motivate us in our continuous pursuit of the best quality product solutions, whether used for breeding, spawning in public water, processing and transforming or direct tasting on our customers’ meal tables.

The appreciation we receive also rewards our efforts and is confirmation that the path we embarked on a few decades ago is the right one!