Camanchaca announced today that Jorge Fernández Valdés, the Company's founder and principal shareholder, passed away at the age of 85 by natural causes.
His history in the fishing industry began in 1967, although it was not consolidated until 1980 when he acquired 100% of the shares of Camanchaca Fishing Company. He invited his friend and lawyer, Mr. Francisco Cifuentes Correa, to join him in the project and he became his partner.
From that moment on, Jorge Fernández Valdés managed risks and challenges, which also implied in the mid-eighties, his entry into salmon farming, and later into mussel farming. This vision made the Camanchaca name progressively relevant.
2018 would be the year of his retirement. After opening the subsidiary of Salmones Camanchaca Jorge resigned from his position as president of Camanchaca, a position succeeded by Jorge Fernández García, his eldest son.
Ricardo García Holtz, general manager of Camanchaca since 2011, stated that "it is with deep sadness that we have seen the passing of Mr. Jorge, of whom we can affirm that he was a great man of determination, vision, and righteousness. An entrepreneur who knew how to take risks and challenges, and to generate confidence in those of us who followed him."
Camanchaca S.A. is a Chilean salmon producer that operates as a vertically integrated company. Their operations encompass various stages, such as breeding, egg production, recirculating hatcheries, and passage or lake hatcheries for coho salmon and trout. Additionally, they maintain fish farms in the fjord and oceanic waters, where they primarily cultivate Atlantic salmon. Camanchaca S.A. also engages in the primary and secondary processing of their products, as well as marketing and sales of both Atlantic and coho salmon through their sales offices.