Royal Greenland is no stranger to the European Seafood Exposition’s Seafood Prix d’Elite new products competition, winning back-to-back awards in 2008 and 2009 for its Salmon Tournedos and Fish ‘N’ Rösti. In this year’s competition, Kids’ Ketchup Bites (pictured) from the company’s Royal Nugget Selection line is among the 37 finalists. Maureen Sorenson, project leader at Royal Greenland, told SeafoodSource the company sees a bright future for the line, which will likely be expanding beyond the three varieties now available.
Forristall: What was your reaction to being named a finalist?
Sorenson: We are very proud that we, again this year, are [among] the Prix d’Elite [finalists] with our innovative products from the Royal Nugget Selection [line]. When we find that we have developed an innovative product, we participate in the competition, mostly because it gives us an opportunity to show Royal Greenland as a front player when it comes to innovation within the seafood business.
How did you come up with the idea for Kids’ Ketchup Bites?
The Kids Ketchup Bites are a piece of cod with a little dollup of ketchup [that’s] battered and prefried — just right as a snack for children. The idea for this product came at home with a colleague’s kids, where we were eating Royal Greenland’s fish fingers. And, of course, Heinz tomato ketchup was on the table. Little Paula [one of the children] said, “I like when the ketchup is nice and warm!” And that tricked the idea. So here we are!
How are consumers reacting to the product?
So far, we have had very positive feedback on all three nuggets, and there is no doubt that we have found a great concept that is highly linked to the food trends of today and tomorrow. We always look at developing a good concept, so this might not be the only product you will see in the future in our Royal Nugget Selection. We aim to surprise with our concepts.
Do you think that being a Seafood Prix d’Elite finalist will help with recognition and sales of the product?
Today, we sell this product in the foodservice sector all over Europe. We are also preparing the launch in retail this coming autumn. Being a Prix d’Elite [finalist] is a great honor, and it shows that Royal Greenland is in the top league of innovative fish product companies. Surely, this also gives special focus to the Royal Nugget Selection. And, yes, this will give more sales to our product.
