Hardy is born from the legacy of a German-Portuguese family. It is meticulously manufactured with the prevailing knowledge of three generations, passed from grandfather to grandson. Crafted with the best local ingredients, Hardy smoked masterpieces are the result of time, legacy, and dedication.

Hardy is the short name for Eberhart Horst Dams. After the Second World War, Hardy started a small local produce business in Northern Germany. He built a smoker which he later brought to his family house where it still is today, in Ofir, Portugal. That same smoker continues to be where his grandson Filipe Dams perfects his smoking techniques and tries out new recipes.

Sustained by the infrastructure of a small business, Hardy has successfully scaled from local to international markets, whilst maintaining a cost-effective packaging system and low-budget brand communication strategies. Hardy honors the traditions of two cultures bound to nature and the sea.

Hardy is a strong typographic brand combining sharp edges with contrasting cut-out elements. The illustrations and overall packaging enhance the background and origins of the product: the sea, the smoke, the wood, the harshness of the tools, and the delicacy of the manufacturing process. The brand honors its german origins and adapts to multiple layouts and supports without losing its universal language, thus creating an impact on local and international markets. Maintaining a sleek, straightforward appeal, it is able to convey the complexity and finesse behind the art of smoking fish, with the freshest salmon loins, the finest local sea salt, and a special secret blend of wood chips.

Hardy’s packaging is designed to be a natural and appealing extension of the brand. The boxes and envelopes are made of raw cartons printed in UV color. Available in different sizes — 1200gr, 700gr, 240gr, and 120gr — the different pieces of fish have combining cut-out designs that allow the consumer to see the product without interfering with the packaging. The illustration represents the fish and evokes the way it is hung for smoking. The orange loop-ending fabric handle visually continues the fish’s shape, which creates an impactful and memorable layout in points of sale and fair stands.

Each box and envelope is assembled by the main handler and brand owner Filipe Dams, thus maintaining a low production price per unit, ideal for a small business such as Hardy. These are complemented by color-printed sulfite paper, cardboard tags for additional information, stickers, and a contrasting white and orange thread.

Hardy has been able to scale nationally and internationally without losing authenticity and continuing to use only the finest local ingredients. In the National market, it is available for sale at its headquarters and factory, and present in boutique stores such as Go Natural and other specialized retailers. It has marked presence in relevant fairs such as the Speciality Fine Food Fair in London, 2018, where it was featured in the Discovery Zone. Multiple print and online publications have shared Hardy’s history and brand development: it was highlighted by Packaging of the World and featured by Behance. Recently, Hardy has been introduced to renowned Star Chef Emmanuel Lorieux at the Nestlé Professional Headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland. Filipe Dams himself is proud to describe how much Hardy’s packaging and brand identity helps the brand grow exponentially.