A new fresh seafood product line is being touted as the first of its kind in Ireland.
Keohanes of Bantry, in southwest Ireland, has developed a microwavable fresh seafood product line featuring prawns, salmon and various species of whitefish with flavored butters and sauce. The product has a shelf life of up to 10 days, is easy to handle and prepare and fits a market need for prepackaged fresh seafood, which, according to the Irish Sea Fisheries Board (BIM), now represents 68 percent of the total fresh seafood market in Ireland.
Sales of the new product line are expected to reach EUR 3 million over the next three years; Keohanes is targeting both foreign and domestic markets.
Keohanes has built a new processing plant, adding 12 full-time jobs. And on Tuesday, representatives of BIM’s Seafood Development Center, along with Simon Coveney, Ireland’s minister of agriculture, food and marine affairs, visited the facility to usher in the new product line.
“This is a wonderful boost for the seafood sector and a positive indication that the industry will play an important role in the future recovery of the Irish economy,” said Coveney. “The dedication and focus that the Keohanes have shown in bringing this exemplary product to the market, combined with their determined business focus is a testament to the caliber of company that is found in our seafood sector. BIM as the seafood development agency has been strongly advocating that seafood companies need to focus on adding value to their products, and I am delighted to see the fruits of their work in the SDC paying such beneficial dividends.”
