Ken Plasse is the CEO of Fishpeople Seafood, a producer of value-added seafood products, including seafood kits, soups and frozen fillets, based in Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.
SeafoodSource: You've been CEO of Fishpeople since 2016. What drew you to the company?
Plasse: Seafood is a final frontier in terms of the consumer food revolution. People have been demanding pure, more traceable, and sustainable food products for years now and I was thrilled to see a company that was addressing the opportunity to innovate with the consumer in mind within the seafood industry.
I’ve always been drawn to the food space and have been working with consumer brands for more than 15 years now. In my experience, nothing is more exciting than seeing a big industry that can benefit from change – and seafood is definitely that. At Fishpeople, I get to work with some of the most passionate founders, investors, and teammates I’ve ever met – they truly live and breathe the mission of changing consumers’ relationship with the sea. It is also incredibly inspiring work alongside independent fishermen and other industry partners who are telling their stories, catching fish the right way and committing to the same values and mission we are.
SeafoodSource: What skills and knowledge from your food company background have you applied to Fishpeople to move the company forward?
Plasse: After I started my career in finance, both in the United States and abroad, I realized my passion was in what felt like the more human side of things on the commercial end. I went back to grad school at the University of Pennsylvania and from there I became a management consultant helping consumer companies drive growth and increase their operational efficiency. I then cut my teeth on Hershey brand management and sales and eventually led their premium division. Since then I led a spirits skunk works project team at E&J Gallo and started a food and aquaculture algae oil and protein division at Solazyme. That diverse functional background provided me with invaluable hands-on experience in leading a company through uncharted waters.
It feels natural that an attraction to uncharted waters would lead me to a seafood company. A main focus of mine here at Fishpeople is on surrounding our founding team with an incredible, experienced, consumer-focused team that will help guide Fishpeople as the leading consumer brand in the industry. It’s been quite the journey so far and we are thrilled to have the support of dedicated partners, a strong team and like-minded industry leaders.
SeafoodSource: In 2017, Fishpeople received a Seafood Excellence Award for its retail seafood kit. How important are new products to the brand and where do you see the product focus being placed going forward?
Plasse: Our main focus is on the consumer first rather than the supply – that’s a huge part of what makes Fishpeople different. We have a targeted consumer segment that we study continually with both qualitative and quantitative research. That research, along with daily touch points with our fan base via digital and social media, functions as an innovation pipeline to address the fear that consumers voice about seafood. This has led us to new product launches that we’re announcing this year, which address transparency, sustainability, and convenience: a Rockfish Seafood Kit, a new dairy-free salmon chowder and a snack innovation (think jerky) that we are very excited to share with everyone soon.
SeafoodSource: What are the greatest challenges and opportunities for your brand?
Plasse: While we are a consumer-focused company, we have to be realistic about the challenges of supply in our industry. The competitive environment is complex and challenging – and then, of course, there’s the unpredictable nature of the ocean. Wild seafood is one of the last hunted proteins at scale on earth and as some of the last “hunters” we hold ourselves to a higher standard relative to sustainability and traceability. We have to balance that supply chain with our marketing and product ambitions and see these challenges as open opportunities.
SeafoodSource: When you get together with others in the food industry, what's the first topic that comes up these days?
Plasse: I’m hearing a lot of discussion around the quickly changing consumer retail landscape, especially with new entrants like AmazonFresh and the consolidation of traditional retailers.
SeafoodSource: What are three things people would be surprised to know about you?
Plasse: My love for water goes beyond eating and enjoying seafood: I love surfing, skiing, and hiking near waterfalls. Given the fast, continuous pace in this industry, I find it’s important to recharge back at the source and stay in touch with the reason we’re doing what we’re doing – the people and places behind our food deserve to be honored.
