The Anchovies are handled shortly after having been caught (exclusively in Sicily) using traditional "lampara" and purse seine net fishing. The anchovies are caught at night. In the dark, in fact, they are attracted by the strong light of the lampara placed on a small boat in the middle of the sea; once the anchovies have been attracted under the boat they are encircled and caught with the purse seine net. This is a traditional fishing method that follows moon phases (on a full moon one cannot fish because of excessive light).
The fresh catch upon arrival undergoes organoleptic checks to verify its quality and finally the processing phases begin. The anchovies are eviscerated, washed with brine, placed in containers with sea salt from Trapani or Marsala and cured for 3 to 6 months. At a later stage the salted and cured anchovies go through the filleting, retail packaging, oiling and sealing phases. All the main operations such as evisceration, salting, filleting and retail packaging are done exclusively by hand.
