Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.-based Alaskan Leader Seafoods had never entered a competition when it won two Alaska Symphony of Seafood awards in 2017. Its Premium Wild-Caught Alaska Cod with Lemon-Herb Butter took the contest's grand prize in Retail, while its Cod Crunchies, a pet treat, won the Beyond the Plate category.
Since then, the company has proved its precocious success was not a fluke, riding the awards – which are presented by Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF) – to greater market traction.
“Winning the Grand Prize Symphony award spotlighted our company in several press articles and radio interviews. Many retailers are always looking for a popular and sustainable product to showcase in their seafood departments, so the Symphony put us on the map in several regions,” said Keith Singleton, who is the president of Alaskan Leader’s value-added division.
Now, Alaskan Leader products, including its prize-winning cod, are distributed by foodservice giant Sysco and can found at retailers like Publix, Whole Foods, and Costco.
AFDF started the Alaska Symphony of Seafood competition in 1994 to drive innovation in value-added products made from Alaska seafood. The competition has given a boost to major industry players as well as budding companies like Alaskan Leader.
“The Symphony is an exciting platform that encourages companies to invest in product development, helps them promote those new products, and competitively positions Alaska Seafood in national and global markets,” a recent press release from AFDF said.
Judging and open house events for the 2019 products will be held in Seattle on 20 February and in Juneau, Alaska on 24 February, with the winners set to be announced at Seafood Expo North America in March of next year.
Once again, Alaskan Leader will be among the participants. Singleton told SeafoodSource that his company will have a new competing product, the Fish and Chip Meal Kit. The new meal kits come with cod fillets, batter, and french fries, as well as simple instructions on preparation, and carry Alaskan Leader’s new slogan of “American Cod Company.”
“When you see that ‘America’s Cod Company’ label, it will tell you that you can be assured of a couple things: our fish and our story starts from integrity and transparency. Any product that you buy [from us] will have that consistent quality and integrity, and we are going to stand for that product…from the time it comes on the boat to the time it goes on your plate at the dinner table,” Alaskan Leader CEO Rob Wurm told SeafoodSource over the summer.
