02 May 2006
A delegation of seafood companies will be in Brussels next week, taking part in the European Seafood Exposition (9-11 May), the world's largest seafood exposition and an event that continues to be an important part of the Shetland seafood sector's marketing activity.
This year, Shetland Catch, Shetland Smokehouse, Hjaltland Seafarms/Lerwick Fish Traders/Shetland Products, Shetland Aquaculture and Seafood Shetland will participate on adjoining stands 645 and 651 in Hall 5. The companies will demonstrate that Shetland is the place to source the very best seafood at an event that proves, time and time again, to be of tremendous value to the industry.
Shetland Catch/Shetland Smokehouse
Shetland Catch and Shetland Smokehouse will, once again, have a presence on stand 645 in hall 5. The stand commands 128 square metres of floor area with dedicated space for meeting rooms and a hospitality area.
Shetland Catch's marketing executive, Shona Manson, explained the importance of the event for both companies. She said: "The European Seafood Exposition brings together the world's seafood industry under one roof and is therefore the ideal forum from which we can successfully conduct business with new and existing customers.
"Our stand has been deliberately designed to create a relaxed atmosphere, providing a hospitable environment for what can often be a rare opportunity to hold face to face meetings with customers from all over the world."
Operations manager, Norma Williamson, will represent Shetland Smokehouse on the stand. Commenting on the importance of the European Seafood Exposition for the growth of the company, she said: "Last year we won the Seafood Prix d'Elite special award for retail packaging for our range of smoked seafood pates. Later in the year, we also scooped a silver award at the Great Taste Awards for our smoked herring with lime, black pepper and chive pate.
"It is accolades like these that pay testament to the quality of our product, giving it an edge in the worldwide marketplace, that we hope will encourage new customers to the stand this year. We will be offering tastings throughout the show and, this year, guests invitied to our reception will be able to enjoy a selection of canapes prepared using Shetland Smokehouse product."
On the adjoining stand 651 Shetland Aquaculture and Hjaltland Seafarms/Lerwick Fish Traders/Shetland Products have once again joined forces. Shetland Aquaculture will co-ordinate the stand on behalf of fellow participant Hjaltland Seafarms/Lerwick Fish Traders/Shetland Products.
Shetland Aquaculture
David Sandison, general manager of Shetland Aquaculture, commented: "We are delighted to have a presence again this year. The aquaculture industry is entering an exciting new phase of diversification and we want to be able to represent our members at this key event while exploring new opportunities for the future.
"One of the key messages we want to communicate is that we are proud to talk provenance. Our island location means we know our members personally and have built close long-term relationships with them. As such, we can confidently talk to customers about the exact source of our product, an enviable position to be in."
Hjaltland Seafarms/Lerwick Fish Traders/Shetland Products
Michael Stark, managing director of Hjaltland Seafarms, welcomes the opportunity to promote the company's new value added processing business. He said: "Work to extend our factory at Lerwick Fish Traders Ltd, the processing arm of Hjaltland Seafarms, is due to begin shortly with a completion date of April 2007.
"This will allow us to extend our existing product portfolio of fresh and individually quick frozen superior quality products. We will be developing a new variety of smoked and marinated salmon products, which will be introduced to the marketplace by our sales and marketing company, Shetland Products Ltd.
"We pride ourselves in the fact that we are the only company in the European Union that can pack salmon and produce fillets in different trims pre-rigor in less than one hour. From next year we will also be the only company in the European Union able to process value added products within two to three hours of fish being harvested, extending the shelf life of these products by a further four to six days.
"The recent installation of an automatic trimming line has speeded up the secondary process greatly and means that our customers can be sure that we will deliver a quality product in the best possible timeframe.
"We have also recently purchased two farm companies and this acquisition includes five new sites, which will increase production by a further 5,000 tonnes. This increased level of product will be valuable in our pursuit of an ever increasing share of the market for superior quality Scottish salmon from Shetland."
Seafood Shetland
Ruth Henderson, chief executive of Seafood Shetland, will also attend the show to represent the interests of her members. She said: "I will be on hand to deal with enquiries on behalf of members in both the processing and shellfish growing sectors, who are not exhibiting at the show."
Further information from:
Ruth Henderson, Seafood Shetland, tel 01595 693644, email sfpa@fishuk.net or visit www.fishuk.net
Or, Louise Rosie, Shaw Marketing and Design Ltd, tel 01595 692465 or email louise.rosie@shaw-online.com