In 1867, Emile Louis Roullet built the first fish canning factory in the Gulf of Trieste, at Duino near Trieste (then part of the Austrian Empire). The factory processed local catches of sardines and other fish, using techniques imported from France. This marked the beginning of the fish canning industry in the Adriatic region, which would later become a major producer of canned fish. The factory's success encouraged the growth of similar enterprises along the Dalmatian coast.

The Trieste canning industry appears in the works of Italian and Slovenian poets, who celebrated the maritime heritage of the Adriatic. Writers like Umberto Saba and France Prešeren referenced fishing and canning in their poems, evoking the rhythms of coastal life. The factory also became a symbol of industrialization in regional literature.