Yerseke, The Netherlands-based Krijn Verwijs Yerseke and Brixham, U.K.-based Offshore Shellfish have partnered to produce a line of pre-cooked mussel dishes.
The new partnership, Premier Offshore VOF, was incorporated in The Netherlands at the beginning of September 2021 and launched the first of its new products for retail and food service in early October, according to a press release.
The range, created by Dutch development chef Asher Bachrach, includes Bangkok Mussels, Avignon Mussels, and Classic Mussels, and will be expanded if they find success in the marketplace. The mussels are pre-cooked and require “just a few minutes in a pan or microwave to produce a restaurant-quality meal,” according to the companies.
“It is very exciting to be working with such a prestigious and established company as Krijn Verwijs. Our aims and objectives on ‘green’ [and] ‘blue’ marine development match each other well,” Offshore Shellfish Founder and Managing Director John Holmyard said. “The new collaboration will be of great benefit to both businesses and will make our mussels available to consumers across Europe and further afield.”
Both companies will continue to sell fresh, live, rope-grown mussels.
Offshore Shellfish claims to be the first fully offshore rope-grown mussel farm in Lyme Bay, in the southern U.K. It practices regenerative aquaculture and has Best Aquaculture Practices and Soil Association Organic certifications. The company is run by John and Nicki Holmyard and two of their children, George as head of operations and Sarah as head of sales and marketing.
Krijn Verwijs Yerseke is a fifth-generation family company founded in 1880, now producing mussels, oysters, clams, crab, and lobster. It is owned by husband and wife team Bram and Caroline Verwijs, along with children Eva as head of purchasing and Bram Jr. as field manager.
“We are sure that both new and existing customers will find our new [dishes] no-hassle [and] easy to prepare and eat," Krijn Verwijs Director Caroline Verwijs said. “[The] mussel range an exciting way to enjoy our shellfish with ease and confidence, enabling them to have a ‘premier moment’ all year round.”
Krijn Verwijs is fully committed to achieving the goals of its sustainability roadmap by 2025, which include reducing plastic waste, using carbon neutral transport, and overhauling office systems to become fully digital. The company has already achieved its first goal of obtaining 100 percent of its energy supply from solar and wind power, and is set to become carbon neutral by 2025.
“We are delighted to enter a partnership with Offshore Shellfish to bring healthy, sustainable new products to consumers in Europe,” Krijn Verwijs Director Bram Verwijs. “As a company, we work hard to ensure that the bounty of the sea can be enjoyed by everyone, now and in the future.”
Photo courtesy of Premier Offshore VOF
