La Sirena, the frozen food chain taking on Spain's Mercadona

La Sirena: the frozen food brand that could dethrone Hacendado?

Amid rising prices, some argue that the La Sirena chain, owned by José Elías, is miles ahead of Mercadona. Not just of its own-brand line, Hacendado, but of the competition in general. The case rests on its product variety, such as some controversial duck gyozas, and on a quality that supposedly exceeds the standard of the leading supermarket.

Quality or price: the frozen food dilemma

La Sirena's defenders argue that its offering goes beyond the classic deep-frozen fish. The chain sells both its own brands and third-party ones, and its shelves range from oriental recipes to butcher-style products. The problem, according to critics, is that everything is frozen and with a composition that raises suspicion: "I imagine it also contains preservatives," they joke.

Price is another battleground. While some think paying a little more is worth it, others compare its products to mortadella priced like a premium item. La Sirena plays at being a small supermarket with big ambitions, but cannot shake off the "just another chain" label its rivals use as a weapon.

A boycott driven by language

José Elías's company has not escaped political noise either. Some sectors criticize it for not labeling its products in Catalan and for prioritizing Spanish. That preference has cost it more than one boycott, although the company has not commented. Meanwhile, alternatives such as La Garbancita Ecológica, linked to left-wing political circles, present themselves as the "responsible" option, even though a basic shopping basket can cost almost four times more than at Mercadona.

The consumer war is thus being fought on two fronts: quality and ideology. How much is the consumer willing to pay for duck gyozas or for labeling in Spanish?