Fábrica de Conservas Santo Cristo
The tuna processing industry reached the town of Calheta in the 1940s. The first factory-owner was Américo Augusto Antunes from Machico, in Madeira. He was the brother of Norberta Antunes, who was already established as a fish canner at Lajes do Pico.
This first factory conserved fish in brine, operating on the site of what is now Calheta de Sao Jorge’s police station. The fish was transported by oxcart from the quay to the cannery.
The Santo Cristo provided work for 10 men and 20 women. In 1950, it was acquired by Sociedade de Conservas Corretora Lda. of Ponta Delgada, which later transferred the factory to a new building in Faja Grande, near the town of Calheta.
in, Os Açorianos e as Pescas, 500 anos de memórias – João A. Gomes Vieira