Founded in 1938 in Póvoa de Varzim, A Poveira took over the town's first cannery, a French operation dating to 1920. The company is defined by its flagship label Minerva and by its attachment to the Atlantic fishing community it was built in. Póvoa de Varzim supplied fish to inland Portugal as far back as the 18th century, and A Poveira has been at the port ever since, using only fresh catch prepared by the traditional pre-cooked steam method.