Hunter Marine Foods thinks it has found the magic formula to win over U.S. consumers’ stomachs in the post-pandemic era.
Founded in 1991, the Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based seafood trading house and retail supplier used to focus on foodservice, which accounted for approximately 75 percent of its business. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it pivoted, and it’s now concentrating on retail, according to Neil Osak, the company’s director of retail operations.
At the 2022 Seafood Expo North America, taking place 13 to 15 March in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., Hunter Marine is exhibiting its updated line of seafood bowls and bakes tailored toward the home consumer, which has emerged as an important demographic as many Americans continue to dine at home rather than going out to eat over concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
“COVID came and restaurants all closed for 16 months,” Osak said. “After the first two months of that, we realized COVID wasn’t going away anytime soon, so we started asking ourselves, what can we do. We never shut down – in fact we pumped money into our business – and since retail was expanding, we decided to dive into retail further. It has become very promising for us.”
Hunter Marine has expanded its line of bowls and bakes that can be microwaved, baked, or prepared in a skillet. It now offers six different bowl products and two bakes – a Macaroni Seafood with Shrimp and Lobster Rosé Sauce and a Scallop Pot Pie with Béchamel Sauce. Its bowls are 500 grams each and their suggested retail price is USD 8.99 (EUR 8.18), while its bakes are one kilo each and carry a suggested retail price of USD 16.99 (EUR 15.47). The products were all recently listed by IGA and “the reception has been excellent,” according to Osak.
“All our meal products contain 20 percent protein by weight, not by volume, so we’re offering a hefty meal,” Osak said. “Our products are all-natural, non-GMO, sustainable, and all handmade. And we try to make them as easy as possible to cook, but also flexible enough to be turned into a fancier meal at home.”
Hunter Marine’s new line is also being sold in the U.S. at King Cullen and Giant Eagle supermarkets, and its Canadian line of products are available coast to coast in Canada in Metro and at numerous independent markets.
Hunter Marine President Costa Tsimiklis said his company subcontracts its manufacturing, but is able to partner with retailers to tailor products to their specifications.
“Most retailers all have the same labels, the same kind of foods. We’re trying to make a more wholesome meal that’s restaurant quality but that can be sold in the freezer at an affordable price,” he said. “We’re trying to be more innovative with our flavors, using things like saffron, chipotle, curry, coconut – things that you don’t find every day in the seafood aisle," Tsimiklis said. "You don’t find these sauces, the kind of meals we’re producing right now. Everybody talks about shrimp scampi, or shrimp alfredo. We want to come up with different stuff, to be more innovative and hopefully change the palate of what Americans are craving in the future.”
Tsimiklis said Americans’ tastes have changed rapidly through the pandemic.
“The melting pot society in the U.S. is no longer there. It has become a mosaic – all the different cultures in the U.S. and their ethnic flavors are starting to stand on their own," he said. “Palates are more sophisticated and developed. We want to amplify and expand on that.”
Photo courtesy of Cliff White/SeafoodSource
