Seven leading Dutch seafood companies presented new products and processes, innovations and sustainability initiatives at the annual Dutch Fish Marketing Board press breakfast to kick off the European Seafood Exposition on Monday. The country is represented at this year’s event by 55 exhibiting companies.
Koninklijke Prins & Dingemanse announced its new Zeeland Creuse Caresse. The product, a finalist in the foodservice category of this year’s Seafood Prix d’Elite new products competition is a pale, meaty oyster with a soft, salty-sweet flavor. The oysters are raised in spacious basins containing a special type of algae and water of the Eastern Scheldt, providing them with an optimum, nutritious environment void of any outside influences.
Amacore presented its initiatives on sustainability, specifically for its method of catching tuna. The company recently finalized a partnership with a Japanese hamachi producer. Amacore will be the preferred distributor for the European market for hamachi fillets, a favorite in Japan.
The Culimer Group announced a full company restyling with the launch of its seafood brand, Culimer, which brings its two previous brands under one label. With the brand introduction, the company hopes to develop a 100 percent reliable brand of honest seafood.
“We want to make sure the industry can trust a brand. If you buy 1 kilogram bags of shrimp with 20 percent glazing, then you will get 800 grams of shrimp in every bag, all of the same size mentioned on the bag,” said Maarten van Geest, communications director for Culimer.
The Heiploeg Group displayed the new visual identity for its brand, including a new logo for the company and its various divisions and new packaging. For the new brand packaging line, elements include a new blue and red Heiploeg logo on a white background bordered by a blue wave, and a photo of fishing nets expressing the freshness and seafood craftsmanship. Additionally, the company announced a range of value added products, all containing Suriname Atlantic Seabob shrimp, which obtained Marine Stewardship Council certification in November 2011. Heiploeg’s line of frozen seafood mixes was also named a Seafood Prix d’Elite finalist, and the range is a candidate for the product line category in the contest.
Krijn Verwijs presented results from the first year of its oyster seed collectors project. The project aims prevent an increasing, unexplained lack of oysters in the Netherlands and to accelerate growth and produce better quality meat.
“Our hope is that we can solve the problem of oyster shortage in the future,” said Danielle Westerwell, sales manager for Krijn Verwijs. “We have a promising first product after our first year, but further research is needed.”
Roem van Yerseke gave an update on last year’s launch of its microwavable mussels and introduced to the line two new flavors, Zeeland’s Roem a la minute with creamy garlic sauce and Zeeland’s Roem a la minute a la Provencale, to the line.
