The Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) Board of Directors approved USD 1.5 million (EUR 1.35 million) worth of funding for partnership programs in North America, according to a GAPP press release.
The partnership program, now in its third round, will fund projects that bring wild Alaskan pollock to the North American market through new products or channels.
“This was the most competitive round of proposals yet,” GAPP Chief Executive Officer Craig Morris said. “We received 17 proposals totaling nearly USD 4 million [EUR 3.61 million] in funding requests for just over USD 1.7 million [EUR 1.5 million] remaining in our budget for the program this year. More than half of those 17 proposals came from new applicants who had heard about the program and were eager to partner with the industry at this exciting time.”
One of the projects brings surumi made with wild Alaskan pollock into K-12 schools. Another project will introduce a fish sandwich made from wild Alaskan pollock into nearly 9,000 7-Eleven convenience stores.
“The GAPP board really wanted to encourage applications for surumi seafood projects and was thrilled at the quality of the proposals that came in showcasing the product,” Morris said. “There is broad consensus that the sky is the limit for wild Alaska pollock-based surumi seafood products and we’re excited to hear how consumers - from school-aged children to grown retail shoppers - react to these new surimi seafood products after tasting them!”
For GAPP’s North American partnership program, partners bring equal or greater funds as GAPP to the to the table. Twelve of 17 proposals were selected to receive funding through the program.
“With this new round of funding announced, GAPP will have partnered on 25 unique projects totaling nearly USD 3 million [EUR 2.7 million] of investment over the last year,” Morris said. “Creating a recognizable brand for Wild Alaska Pollock is going to take us all, pulling together, investing together and creating together, and we look forward to adding these new partnerships to our team.”
The Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers is a group dedicated to the marketing of wild Alaskan pollock, focusing on the North American, European, and Japanese markets.
Logo courtesy of the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers
