Pier Paolo, Juan Mari and Andrea
Over three decades ago, the Meneghello brothers took advantage of the pizzeria that they ran to innovate and sell a product that until then did not exist in Ibiza: a premium frozen pizza. What started out as a trial became the trigger for a drastic change in their business model. Before long they abandoned the restaurant business and centred their efforts on distribution, specialising at first in Italian gourmet products and then in Asian and Mexican items.
Today, the company has grown thanks to the enthusiasm and drive of the founding brothers and Juan Marí, sales manager and a friend of the siblings. “Ever since Hermanos Meneghello sold their first frozen pizzas, what has set this company apart is the service we give our customers”, says Marí himself.
Six years ago Meneghello created a new line of business, Meneghello Fish, a fish distributor that has grown exponentially, distributing in Ibiza and Formentera. “The fish distributor began from our eagerness to meet the needs of our customers”, explains Juan Marí. “We distributed Asian products, everything you need to make sushi, sashimi, etc., and customers would say: great, but where do I buy the tuna or the salmon?”, he adds. “And so we launched Meneghello Fish”.
Meneghello Fish
With its five daily delivery routes, Meneghello Fish is today one of the main fish distributors in Ibiza and Formentera, where, as of this year, it runs distribution routes practically every day of the week. Although its catalogue includes fish and seafood not only from the Mediterranean but also from the Atlantic and the Cantabrian Sea, the Ibizan company has made an unequivocal commitment to local fish.
Ever since it began, Meneghello Fish has strongly supported traditional local fisheries, guaranteeing fish purchasing quotas for local fishermen associations, thus contributing to the survival of a sector that is under great threat. This commitment was strengthened last year by the acquisition of a trawler (currently the only one in operation in the Ibiza Fishermen’s Association), which, after investing heavily in its refurbishment, entered into service in mid-May 2023. The boat is equipped with the latest technological advances, such as pelagic doors, which stop the trawl from dragging along the seabed, thus preventing ecological damage and, at the same time, generating significant energy savings.
Meneghello Fish has invested heavily in order to expand its facilities and thus improve the personalised service it offers its customers. So much so that they have relocated to a warehouse next to the original Meneghello facilities. By doing so, the company has expanded its fish handling facilities, which is essential for a business that offers a personalised service to its customers in terms of cuts as well as presentation and preparation. The new space will also allow the distributor to install seafood nurseries, strengthening its catalogue in the medium–high range.
A business in continuous growth
Much has happened since the Meneghello brothers first had the idea of selling frozen pizzas. Today the group employs more than 50 people and has established itself as one of the strongest distributors in Ibiza in terms of Italian, Mexican and Asian produce. Recently, however, it has also begun to move forward in its catalogue with the launch of a gourmet range including such exotic products as Mondego oil, with its characteristic spiciness extracted from a chilli pepper from Mozambique, Palacio Marques de Viana and Patio de Viana EVOOs, Caviar ZAR, King Crab and a long list of other products designed to satisfy the most demanding palates, all of which can be found at their physical store at P.I. Montecristo, Avda Llauradors nº 21.
