Dave’s Gourmet Albacore

Crista Jones and Dave Greenberger
310A Coral Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
831 457-2250
crew@davesalbacore.com
www.davesalbacore.com

Markets: Aptos and Monterey

Products: Gourmet canned salmon, albacore and shellfish; smoked fish, crab cakes, and gift packages.

History/Philosophy: Dave’s Gourmet Albacore, purveyor of premium, line caught fish, is a Santa Cruz company that has been at both the Aptos and MPC farmers markets for the past 5 years, offering a variety of tuna and salmon from an area that spans from Big Sur to the waters off the coast of Alaska.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Dave Greenberger loved the sea and could always be found playing on or around fishing boats. He mastered fishing “the old way” and started fishing commercially as a young man. He began his canning his albacore in the 1970s.

Dave employs the most ecologically responsible methods available to harvest salmon and albacore. Dave is strictly old school when it comes to fishing, avoiding the drift net techniques that are more efficient but causes harm to dolphins and other sea life. All the fish are caught using “hook and line” and then hand selected the highest quality fish.

Crista Jones, sales manager and Dave’s wife of 18 years, explained the notable flavor differences between Dave’s Gourmet Albacore brand of canned fish and the mass-produced products that have been around for decades. “We pack our fish raw with no added oil, salt or seasonings. The fish is cooked in the canning process, unlike most canned fish, which is cooked before packing as well. Essentially, the fish is cooked twice using that method. All of the water found in our products comes from the fish itself.”

They’ve been in their Santa Cruz facility on Coral Street, across from Costco, for almost 10 years. The 1920s era canning equipment they utilize for their operation was purchased from a fruit packer in Kirkland, Washington, and then moved to Santa Cruz. Crista attended a special six-month “canning school” at Arizona State University, where she received certification to oversee canning operations.

Dave’s Gourmet Albacore has been featured on CNN and widely acclaimed by a variety of publications, including The New York Times, San Francisco Examiner, Men’s Health magazine, Food & Wine, and Cooking Light among others, and they all rave about the quality of the product and the sustainable method Dave uses to catch the fish. You can read more about this on Dave's web site at: www.davesalbacore.com/newsroom.php.

Items available from the farmers markets include canned tuna and salmon as well as vacuum-sealed crab cakes and smoked salmon, all of which Crista is happy to recommend a tasty way to prepare. Or, drop by their retail outlet (which includes a new café! — location map) and check out their full line of fresh fish, seafood and canned fish as well as various condiments and sauces. Don’t miss the photographs of Dave in action on the high seas, too!