New Brunswick-based aquaculture outfit Cooke Aquaculture took home the coveted ‘Exporter of the Year’ distinction at this year’s New Brunswick Export Awards gala, hosted by business development firm Opportunities NB on 2 June.
A family business that got its start in 1985 with just one farm and 5,000 salmon, Cooke Aquaculture has now blossomed into a formidable, multifaceted farming operation with salmon facilities in Scotland and Chile as well as a sea bass and sea bream farm in Spain and a scallop production outfit in Virginia, U.S.A. Across the enterprise, a focused exporting strategy has always been key, according to Cooke Communications Manager Chuck Brown.
“The family recognized early on that integration and diversification of products and markets were keys to global competitiveness. Cooke’s aggressive growth strategy involved acquisitions, expanded facilities, product lines and distribution networks. Exports, starting with the U.S., were always part of our business and we have followed a natural progression, leading us to become a truly global seafood company with customers around the world,” Brown told SeafoodSource.
While accepting the ‘Exporter of the Year’ award at the gala in Fredericton last week, Brown noted that export customers from China were in attendance. “It was very exciting for us and for them,” he said.
Cooke has always had it sights set on building a vertically integrated corporation at its home bases, “with long-term goals to develop into an industry leader,” said Brown. These goals have been built into the company’s approach to exports, which involves several layers.
“By adding support divisions to our farming operations – including freshwater hatcheries, primary and value-added processing, trucking, maintenance and feed manufacture – we created a solid foundation for growth at home and internationally. This has allowed us to continue to expand our export market to include new and exciting products and marketplaces, both aquaculture-raised and from traditional fisheries,” Brown said.
The aquaculture enterprise is looking to continue its steady business progression, he added.
“Innovation has also been critical to our operations. We are always looking for better ways to produce and deliver quality seafood through internal process improvement and R&D as well as third-party certifications that give customers confidence in our products,” Brown said.
Previous ‘Exporter of the Year’ recipients include Bonté Foods Limited, a food manufacturer out of Atlantic Canada, that won the title in 2015.
