17 April 2008
Shetland’s seafood industry is firmly establishing itself as the region
to watch as it sets off in force for the annual European Seafood Exposition
in Brussels next week (22 – 24 April).
This year Grieg Seafood Hjaltland UK/Lerwick Fish Traders/Shetland Products
will be exhibiting for the first time with its parent company, Grieg Seafood,
at Hall 5, stand number 651. They will be sharing a stand with Shetland Aquaculture,
who will be there representing its members as a whole and will handle leads
for all member companies, including those not exhibiting.
Grieg Seafood Hjaltland UK Ltd will be showcasing its innovative new range of
value added products, branded as ‘WildWaters – Farmed in the Wild’,
which includes seven tempting new flavours, such as Gravadlax Limoncello and
Smoked Salmon Orange Pepper.
Managing director, Michael Stark commented: “We are delighted that our
flagship range, WildWaters, is soon to be launched in the market. Having already
established a strong reputation for the quality of our fish, our customer service
and timely deliveries, it was a natural progression to take the process one
stage further and turn it into luxury finished products.
“Having recently expanded our organic salmon stock, we are now in a position
to offer a year round supply of organic salmon. The value added range will be
produced from our state-of-the-art multi-million extension to our processing
plant in Lerwick. The new facility houses the latest technology, which will
include six trolley kiln smokehouses for smoking both hot and cold salmon, an
automatic salting line for curing and marinating, and three slicing and fully
automated packing lines. We welcome visitors to our stand to come and sample
our distinctive and delicious new range.”
Another first to the show will be Shetland Seafood Auctions, who are sharing
their stand at Hall 7, stand number 2011 with Aucxis Trading Solutions, the
suppliers of the electronic auction equipment and software.
Shetland Seafood Auctions, managing director, Martin Leyland commented: “The
European Seafood Exposition is an important date in the seafood calendar for
us and we hope it will be an ideal platform for us to promote our online seafood
auction. We will be giving live demonstrations of our innovative electronic
fish auction service in action so that producers and buyers can see exactly
how it could benefit them.”
Organic salmon producer, Framgord, will also have a presence. The Lerwick-based
company continues to go from strength to strength, with their organic salmon
now firmly positioned in the market. This year the company will be showcasing
all three brands: Shetland Organic Salmon; Shetland Salmon Natural Choice and
Shetland Salmon Red Label, as well as enjoying meeting new and existing customers
in Hall 9, stand number 4227/e.
Managing director, Frank Johnson, said: “Our organic salmon from the Shetland
Isles is a statement of perfection – marrying nature’s rich bounty
from the most northerly of Scotland’s islands with a fish that achieves
an unsurpassable quality. We look forward to customers being able to experience
the superior taste for themselves.”
A firm regular at Brussels, Shetland Catch will be attending the show again
and can be found at their usual stand: Hall 5, stand number 645.
Commenting on the company’s attendance, managing director of Shetland
Catch, Simon Leiper, said: “As always, we are looking forward to meeting
up with our customers at the event. European Seafood Exposition is a valuable
forum in which we can successfully conduct business with new and existing customers.”
Shetland Smokehouse will be located in Hall 9, stand 4117, showcasing their
selection of smoked and cured salmon products. This year, the company is keen
to start a new marketing drive and is ready to explore new markets.
Shetland Smokehouse’s managing director, Louie Patterson, said: “The
European Seafood Exposition in Brussels is crucial to consolidating the existing
business and building up new export markets. We have ambitious plans for our
Shetland Smokehouse range and are aiming to distribute it in ten countries within
one year.”
Further information:
Ruth Henderson, Seafood Shetland, tel: 01595 693644 or email: ruth@fishuk.net
or
Victoria Tait, Shaw Marketing and Design Ltd, tel: 01595 692465 or email: victoria.tait@shaw-online.com