In 1831, the first fish salting factory on the island of La Gomera in the Canary Islands was established by the Genoese entrepreneur Francis Grasso. The factory, named La Cantera, processed fish using traditional dry-salting methods, producing salted fish for export to mainland Spain and the Americas. This enterprise marked the beginning of industrial-scale fish processing in the Canaries, a region rich in marine resources. The factory's success spurred the growth of a local fishing fleet and processing infrastructure.

The salting industry on La Gomera is celebrated in Canarian poetry and folk music, with songs praising the hard work of the salters and the bounty of the sea. Writers like José de Viera y Clavijo referenced the fish salting trade in their descriptions of the islands' economy and culture. The factory also appears in travel literature of the 19th century.