Sardines
Princess Brand
The revival of a historic Namibian pilchard brand name — on horse mackerel cans. 'Princess' was a decades-old pilchard brand from before the fishery's collapse; with the pilchard moratorium in force since 2018, Princess Brand Processing (rebranded from Seaflower Pelagic Processing in January 2022) commissioned a new Walvis Bay cannery around 2022 and put the trusted old name on canned horse mackerel instead.
At a glance
| Country | Namibia |
|---|---|
| Region | Erongo |
| City | Walvis Bay |
| Founded | 2022 Princess Brand Processing rebranded from Seaflower Pelagic Processing on 31 January 2022; 'Princess' itself is a decades-old Namibian pilchard brand name from the pre-collapse era, deliberately revived. |
| Company | private |
| Price | $ — budget |
| Made at | Princess Brand Processing — Walvis Bay, Walvis Bay |
Notable facts
- Management has explicitly said it is 'leveraging' the reputable old pilchard brand name — a collapsed-sardine nation putting a heritage sardine brand on horse mackerel cans.
- Namibia's pilchard (Sardinops sagax) fishery has been under a full moratorium since 2018, so no pilchard product is possible; the cans are horse mackerel.
- The new cannery, commissioned around 2022, has capacity for roughly 450 jobs; the MD told The Namibian (2025) the plant could employ 450 people and run at capacity within 45 days if given a pilchard quota.
- Company background details (AST parent, rebrand date, retrenchments at predecessor Seaflower) are single-sourced to New Era; whether Princess-branded cans are currently on retail shelves is unverified.
Behind the tin
Princess Brand is packed at Princess Brand Processing — Walvis Bay in Walvis Bay, Namibia.
primary of Princess Brand are packed at Princess Brand Processing — Walvis Bay, Walvis Bay — not the brand's whole range.
Products
Canned Horse Mackerel
Horse mackerel canned under the revived Princess name; Trachurus capensis is a strong inference, not a label fact. Current retail shelf presence unverified.
Evidence & uncertainties
Overall sourcing confidence for this profile: ✓ verified — corroborated by two or more sources.
Species — Strong inference: Strongly inferred from the fishery and region, without an on-pack Latin name.