Hilton Food Group-owned smoked salmon brand Foppen Seafood is introducing smaller pack sizes and cost-conscious products to address financial belt-tightening by U.S. consumers.
The move to smaller packs was necessary due to high raw material prices for salmon, penny-pinching consumers, and fierce competition for shelf space, according to U.S. Sales Director Remko Vedder.
“We didn't want to take two slices out and make a cheater pack,” Vedder told SeafoodSource at the 2024 Seafood Expo North America in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. “We are 20 years in the market, and in the beginning, it didn’t matter if it was big because it looked like a lot of product. But, now it's all real estate, real estate, real estate.”
Despite the challenges facing the premium smoked salmon market in 2024, Vedder said Foppen remains confident it can win over U.S consumers by continuing to deliver its classic smoked products while also innovating with new flavors and concepts.
“Every retailer is looking for different stuff; they want to diversify,” he said. “As long as we can accommodate that, we are in a good spot. Once people discover Foppen, they love it, but we need to always be trying to bring in new things to bring in new consumers and also to make the shelf a little bit more exciting.”
Foppen Chief Commercial Officer Wilbert Vedder, Remko’s brother, said Foppen has a strategy with its new product launches, specifically referencing the company’s new hot-smoked salmon spread.
“We’re trying to see if we can [give] the salmon multiple [usages] through throughout the day,” he said. “Now, for example, with this spread, you can even use it as a lunch product but also as a snack, so we try to diversify from the regular standard sliced salmon.”
The result of three years of development, the spread is 50 percent smoked salmon, mixed with mayonnaise and other ingredients the Vedders declined to disclose.
“It’s a brand new category for us,” Remko said. “This product was previously frozen. So, we can bring it into the U.S. frozen, and it also gives a big advantage for the stores where they can just take a couple of bottles out and put it on the shelf.”
Remko said the product is also the result of trying to make better use of products that might not otherwise be used commercially.
“That helps us bring prices of our hot-smoked salmon down because we have a better use for the trimmings, and it reduces food waste,” he said.
Foppen is moving into more frozen products using pre-sliced smoked salmon loins, exhibiting jalapeño, seaweed, and flame-roasted flavors both for retail and foodservice.
“We did an introduction in a big retailer, and it was, in the first two weeks, their number-two item right away,” Remko said. “We think it can be very good for the holidays and eating together at Thanksgiving or Christmas.”
Remko said he has been visiting more hotels, restaurants, and golf clubs this year as part of a push by Foppen on foodservice, which is now under the direction of new managing director Henri van de Bilt, who began in September 2023 after nearly three years as a commercial manager and director at Hilton Foods Holland.
“We’re pushing convenience and cost efficiency because if you buy a pack of our pre-sliced smoked salmon loin, you can make a big plate of like 50 to 60 sushi for around USD 20 [EUR 18.54],” he said.
The sushi trend “is just growing and growing,” he said.
“Sushi is hot. It was hot. It's still hot, and so we are trying to integrate into all those sushi counters that are popping up, even at quite traditional retailers, not just in the hipster states,” he said. “With our seaweed flavor, which is healthy, sexy, and fun, it’s a logical combination with the sushi market.”
Other products Foppen touted at SENA included its Chili and Lime Salmon Skewers, which debuted in 2023 and which is now available in Costco stores in three U.S. regions; sous-vide, air-fryer, and steamed frozen salmon products; and a braided and glazed salmon table showpiece item.
Other changes underway at Foppen include a bigger emphasis on recyclability and a push into Mexico and Brazil.
“Because the middle class is growing there and they already consume smoked salmon, [their markets are] like the U.S. 15 years ago – it's already on the shelf.” Remko said. “We see huge opportunities there. We are developing local teams and local support [there] because those are challenging markets, especially to import into.”
Hardewijk, the Netherlands-headquartered Foppen was acquired by Hilton Food Group in December 2021, and while the first year of new management was centered on getting through the Covid economic crisis, the two entities are now fully concentrated on integration.
“We work as one company. It has been a great move going into Hilton because they bring a lot of experience, mainly in manufacturing excellence and also optimization of programs that will really help us to be sustainable for the future,” Wilbert said. “Across the food industry, recycling is getting more and more important, and we are very concerned about our impact on the world and doing more sustainable packaging. So, Hilton is going to help us with their great experience there, and we are getting a lot of helpful input on that side of the business.”
One thing that won’t change at Foppen, according to Remko, is the company’s commitment to integrity.
“If we sell a loin, it’s a loin. Some people take a full fillet, cut it in half, and say they have two loins, but that’s not the truth. We cut off the belly, use it for another product, and the back is the loin,” he said. “The Foppen way is telling the truth and being honest. We could make it cheaper if we cut corners, but that's not our philosophy. It’s always quality first.”
Remko said Foppen “plays the long game,” betting that quality and integrity will pay off with better relationships with customers and better brand loyalty from consumers. However, he said his company welcomes the growing competition in the U.S. smoked salmon space.
“We are never afraid of competition. It keeps us sharp, and it's good that the entire category gets to a higher level of processing. That’s good for everybody,” he said.
Remko said Foppen also tells the truth to potential customers about how his products are being received in the marketplace.
“We acknowledge that we also have unsuccessful launches because if you don't fail, you also never win. As long as we have enough winners, we can have a loser once in a while,” he said.
Then, he glanced at his brother.
“That's why my mother has three kids,” he joked.
