Santiago, Chile-based Blumar plans to open its first “experience center” in Chile in August 2022.
The fishing and salmon-farming firm hopes to open a series of similar centers across Chile with the goal of offering local retail outlets for its seafood products, while also serving as a center for culinary and educational activities.
The Mercado Blumar center was officially inaugurated in July in the city of Punta Arenas, in the Magallanes region. Local materials were used in its construction and decoration, including pieces made by local artisans, and its walls contain plastic recycled from salmon-farming sector waste.
"Today a dream materializes that we had as a team since we began operating in the region in 2018. Mercado Blumar will not only be a store, but this will be the first experience center, where through the kitchen, which we know is a traditional place for Magallanes families, we seek to bring the community closer to our industry, disseminating our processes, valuing the work done by each member of the Blumar team," Blumar Magallanes Deputy Production Manager Pablo Solís said.
In 2021, Blumar, which markets its products via the St. Andrews and Pacific Blue brands, began selling its new Laguna Blanca premium brand – an antibiotics-free salmon raised in the Magallanes region under high sustainability standards – across Chile. The brand was originally designed for the U.S. market, and was created as part of the BluGlacier joint venture between Blumar and Ventisqueros.
Other seafood companies with operations in Chile also pursuing more-robust domestic sales strategies include Mowi and Multi X.
In March 2021, Mowi Chile launched Cocina Salmon, an online retail effort geared towards the Chilean hotel, retail, and catering (HORECA) market, with the expectation of increasing its range of Marine Harvest and Mowi product offerings to more locations. At the beginning of July 2022, it announced an increased reach in its delivery from online sales in the north of the country, and Chile is one of two countries with Salmon Wagon food trucks, which Mowi uses at charitable events.
Puerto Montt, Chile-based salmon farmer Multi X declared during its rebrand launch in 2021 that part of its strategy would include a deeper focus on the Chilean market. Early July 2022, the company announced a partnership with a local supermarket chain in Coyhaique, in southern Chile’s Aysén Region, adding to the agreements it has in place for the sale of its products at two other supermarket chains. In January 2022, it launched an e-commerce platform to cater to clients in the Metropolitan and Los Lagos regions.
Blumar General Manager Gerardo Balbontín said he expects the Mercado Blumar expansion will give his firm another market outlet and will also deepen its connection to the communities in which it operates.
“The idea is to bring salmon closer to all our neighbors, in order to work together so that Blumar continues to move towards a future in a sustainable way and with its communities,” Balbontín said during the opening ceremony.
Photo courtesy of Blumar
