The new co-op was formed from a merger of three established Scottish Fish Producers’ Organisations (FPOs): Aberdeen, Orkney and West of Scotland. Catching a variety of North Atlantic species, from whitefish to langoustine, the organization represents 52 vessels and over 200 fishermen.
A delegation of Scottish Seas directors and skippers will journey to Boston later this month to introduce their new identity to international buyers, and seek retail and foodservice partners in North America. The co-op is able to leverage existing processing relationships to provide Scottish seafood caught to the high environmental standards as customized frozen/portion and value added offerings to retail and foodservice partners in North America. Branded, co-branded, and white label products will be developed to suit specific partners and markets.
“Scottish fishermen, working with Scottish processors, to bring to market products developed in collaboration with US retailers and foodservice is an innovative and open way to do business,” says Bill McKenzie, Director of Aberdeen FPO. “There will be nothing faceless about Scottish Seas, and no ambiguity about where the fish has come from, or where it has been before hitting the shelves.”
Seal of approval
Scottish Seas has also just become the first UK producer to qualify as a Producer Partner with US-based FishWise, a non-profit consultancy helping retailers make responsible purchasing decisions.
“We are delighted to be able to announce our new partnership with FishWise in advance of SENA,” says Alan Coghill, Director of Orkney FPO. “The fishermen of Scottish Seas have a longstanding commitment to sustainability. In addition to several stocks that are MSC certified, Scottish Seas fisherman are part of the Responsible Fishing Scheme and are now into year two of a three-year plan to become discard-free by 2019.”