SeafoodSource interviews Rick Spalding, director of foodservice
marketing for Fishery Products International, about the launch of its
new Honey Chipotle Salmon and Rotisserie-style Cod. Spalding discusses
the innovation behind the products and how they're performing in the
marketplace.
Grandin: What's the premise behind the Honey Chipotle Salmon & Rotisserie-style Cod dishes?
Spalding: Honey Chipotle Salmon was developed to leverage the popularity of salmon across FPI's most successful value-added line, Upper Crust. Upper Crust was launched in 2004 and now represents more than 4 million pounds of sales across the broad foodservice marketplace. Honey Chipotle offers operators big flavor and functionality at an affordable price. Coated with a blend of savory breadcrumbs, chipotle and bell peppers, lemon and honey, this item delivers a 'sweet heat' that is bound to please. Chipotle is a popular (albeit established) pepper and the combination of heat and sweet is also very much on trend. You don't typically find value-added (breaded, battered) salmon in the marketplace, but FPI has established credibility with both its past Upper Crust (Mediterranean Crusted Salmon) and Pan Sear Selects (Teriyaki Sesame Salmon) launches. This will nicely compliment our existing offerings. Lastly, as with all Upper Crust items, the new Honey Chipotle Salmon is 'top crusted,' providing better ease of use in the BOH for operators. Perfect for high volume sheet-pan cooking, this item will be great for healthcare, casinos, hotels, B&I and family-dining operations.
Rotisserie Style Cod was also developed to augment an already successful and established Pan Sear Selects line, launched in 2006. As with all Pan Sear Selects items, this new cod offers the ultimate operator flexibility in that it can be cooked across multiple platforms. Whether fried, sauteed, pan griddled, microwaved or baked, this item performs with equal success. Cod is very much mainstream as the quintessential 'whitefish' option. FPI was built on cod, and we have the strongest equity within that species in North America. In developing this item, we took a very popular and mainstream flavor profile, Rotisserie, commonly found within poultry applications, and leveraged it on a premium cod fillet. The cod we used is untreated (no sodium tri-polyphosphates) offering a nice and firm, white texture and appearance. The flavor profile is similar to that found in rotisserie chickens, with hints of sage, cracked pepper, salt, lemon and chicken stock. This item routinely won the 'clean plate award' during the product development process.
Both items were tested nationally in a focus group and received great reviews.
What makes these seafood products unique in the market?
Upper Crust offers midscale and casual dining operators (commercial and non-commercial) white table cloth seafood options without the associated ingredient hassle/cost. Frozen and easy to prepare, these items can be used effectively across all of foodservice where baking is an option. The coatings are unique and utilize premium ingredients, upscaling what has historically been a fairly predictable breading market for seafood. Nobody to date has been able to replicate the quality and functionality of Upper Crust, although many have tried.
Pan Sear Selects is truly unique from a BOH functionality standpoint. The science utilized in the formulation of the coating allows for multiple cooking platforms with similar/identical results (visual, taste). The products also offer a lighter, healthier alternative to standard breaded/battered items. All utilize natural whole fillets (salmon, tilapia, flounder, cod) and premium ingredients for a more upscale seafood experience.
How have sales been for these new products so far?
Initial sales on both of these items have been impressive. In only a few short months, we've secured very strong distribution across the country with both items. Our customers know the value Upper Crust and Pan Sear Selects bring, and they were eager to try another new item from FPI. We also have a strong operator rebate in play as well as broker promotions to support these two items.
Is your salmon and cod certified as sustainable? Where is it sourced?
While we don't call out MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) in our packaging/labeling for either the Rotisserie Style Cod or Honey Chipotle Salmon, both primary fisheries (Alaskan cod, Alaskan salmon) are either under assessment (Atlantic cod) or certified sustainable (Alaska Pacific cod and salmon). Chain of custody mandates that we cannot make that claim yet on our packaging, but we may move in that direction in the future.
Who are you marketing these products to and in what retail outlets are they being sold?
We sell these across all channels within foodservice, with strongest penetration in the midscale/casual-dining full-service restaurant channels and the healthcare industry.
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