German seafood processor Pickenpack, which was purchased by U.S. firm Trident Seafoods last April, has rebranded to clarify its ties to its American owner.
The company has changed its name to Pickenpack Seafoods, and at Seafood Expo Global in Brussels, Belgium last week, its marketing materials labeled it as “a company of Trident Seafoods.”
“It is for us a nice occasion here at SEG to present that Trident is the new owner of Pickenpack Seafoods,” an executive with the company told SeafoodSource. “For us, it a great chance for us to show that it’s a perfect match.”
Pickenpack has changed its logo to show an Alaskan mountain and swimming Alaskan pollock, and the company executive told SeafoodSource the company will be explicit in showing off its ties to Alaska.
“Alaska will be a big advantage because has a very positive image in Europe,” he said. “It has clear, pristine waters and represents pure nature, and the Germans more and more love to go on holiday in Alaska. And Germans love pollock on the same level of salmon – it is our number-two consumed fish.”
Through Trident, Pickenpack now has “access to the best raw material” and a “fully integrated value-chain from source to plate,” which the executive said would be a huge benefit to Pickenpack.
The Pickenpack executive said there had already been significant exchange of information and experience between his firm and Trident, including a global research and development meeting in which representatives of the two companies reviewed global trends and product releases. Chefs from the two companies’ chefs also met to trade ideas, he said.
In addition, Trident was investing in updated the company’s plant in Riepe, Germany with fully automated machines “to be able to bring out the most of the fishing product,” the executive said.
The next step for Pickenpack will involve finding new ways to add value to its products, maximizing the potential of its current line of breaded and battered products like fish sticks while simultaneously developing innovative new products.
“We see a bright future in the work we’re doing together,” he said. “We have a perfect network to distribute to all foodservice and retailers across Europe. So now we’re looking forward to doing more innovations to take advantage this great path we have to bring fish from the ocean to plates in Germany.”