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Saba

Saba is a Manila-based sardines brand from Chattrade Enterprises, marketed for its firm, meaty texture in tomato-sauce preparations.

At a glance

Notable facts

• Chattrade Enterprises is headquartered at 822 Elcano St., Binondo, Manila, and states on its own site that it 'has been in existence for more than 30 years' as a food trading and distribution company; no specific founding year is given.
• Chattrade's site describes Saba as 'a leader in squid, cuttlefish, and pink salmon' with 'strong presence in mackerel and sardines,' positioned alongside the company's other distributed brands, F&N and Rose Bowl.
• Nutrition-database listings (nutritionvalue.org, myfooddata.com) attribute Saba's tomato-sauce sardine products to a manufacturer named 'Chattrade Development Corp.' rather than 'Chattrade Enterprises' — the exact corporate relationship between these two names is not confirmed.
• Confirmed current SKUs include Sardines in Tomato Sauce and Sardines in Tomato Sauce with Chili, sold in 155g cans and 425g x 3 multipacks through Philippine and diaspora grocery retailers (Lazada, Sukli).

Origin

Saba is a sardines line distributed by Chattrade Enterprises, a food trading company based on Elcano Street in Binondo, Manila — the historic heart of the city's Chinese-Filipino trading district. Chattrade's own site says the company "has been in existence for more than 30 years," though it does not give an exact founding date, and it is not clear whether that tenure refers to the company as a whole or to the Saba brand specifically.

On its site, Chattrade positions Saba as its lead brand for squid, cuttlefish and pink salmon, with a strong secondary presence in mackerel and sardines — sitting alongside two other brands it distributes, F&N (a Singapore/Malaysia bestseller) and Rose Bowl, a sardine line the company traces to the 1960s. One research wrinkle worth flagging: nutrition-label databases list the manufacturer behind Saba's tomato-sauce sardines as "Chattrade Development Corp.," a name not identical to "Chattrade Enterprises," and no source found here clarifies how the two are related.

Whatever the exact corporate structure, Saba's products are confirmed as actively sold: plain and chili tomato-sauce sardines turn up in both domestic Philippine listings and diaspora grocery retailers overseas, sold in standard 155g cans and 425g multipacks.

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