Renton, Wash.-based Orca Bay Seafoods, which has supplied wild Alaskan salmon and other seafood for more than 20 years, recently invested in obtaining “Non-GMO Verified” status from the Non-GMO Project and rolled out a new line of single-serve seafood products to grocers across the United States. The single-service packages – smaller versions of Orca Bay's traditional 10 oz. bags –include 14 different marinated or seasoned versions of Alaskan cod, halibut, keta salmon, sablefish, sockeye salmon, mahimahi, swordfish and wahoo.
SeafoodSource recently caught up with Lilani Estacio, marketing and communications manager for Orca, to talk about the new line and other new marketing initiatives from the company.
Blank: Why was it so important for the company to obtain non-GMO certification? Are other seafood suppliers obtaining this as well?
Estacio: Orca Bay products have always been all-natural, before Non-GMO Verified certification became an option for companies. Once the opportunity became available and, as both consumers’ and customers’ awareness in GMOs increased, our director of product development, Roger Fickenscher, got the ball rolling for us. It was an all-hands-on-deck effort to obtain verification. Every one of our suppliers had to present documentation that there were no additives, preservatives or processing aids used in the production of the seafood products. Then, those documents were then submitted to the Non-GMO Project for final verification. The process took around four to six months.
Blank: Why was it important to launch the new single-serve line? Is it primarily geared toward millennials or other demographic groups?
Estacio: We’ve always had strong communication with both retail and foodservice customers, but are really honing in on what consumers’ needs are. The single-serve line is a direct by-product of listening to all three. It was not a huge surprise that there was a strong interest in products that are environmentally-friendly, convenient and healthy. The ease of use, variety of products, proper portions and packaging has millennials, single households and families (including the younger Generation Z) in mind.
Blank: How are you educating shoppers about preparing seafood, as well as its health benefits?
Estacio: Our sales and marketing teams are open to supporting retailers both small and large in any way we can, whether it’s through recipe development, shelf talkers, freezer cling-ons or promotions. We are putting additional focus on direct consumer marketing using our website and social media. With the increase of social media as a medium between companies and consumers, we have had to keep our eyes open to product feedback.
We are using Orca Bay’s website and various social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube – to further educate consumers and familiarize them with preparing and handling frozen seafood, give them the transparency they want on where and how their product got to them and provide the benefits of having seafood in their diets. Our consumers range from the senior generation to Generation Z, so marketing has to be 360 degrees. For example, even though there is more focus on social media, we still respond to calls and letters.
