Dianna Haney from Jacksonville, the southern Belle for Shaw’s Southern Bell, said working the Boston Seafood Show “is a wonderful experience. I feel like kind of a celebrity. I am constantly being asked to have my picture taken with visitors from around the world. Back home in Jacksonville I am always eating Shaw’s products, they are delicious.” Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
by Ed Lallo/Gulf Seafood News Editor
Buyers from around the world attending Seafood Expo North America 2014 all seemed to be searching for similar solutions; fresh seafood, niche business with smaller quantities and higher quality. The show was all about finding products with a good story that are sustainable and traceable, as well as locally produced.
With more educated consumers wanting to know the stories of about origins of their products, the show was all about finding sustainable and traceable products with a good story to tell customers as well as the public at large; areas where Gulf seafood suppliers stood tall amongst the international competition.
Fresh From the Gulf
Stokes Fish Company – Florida
Justin Timineri, chef for the Florida Department of Agriculture cooks forms from Margie Brozanski of Stokes Fish Company. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
While shrimp, oysters and finfish were everywhere, and from every country, one small Gulf seafood company from Leesburg, Florida put a unique product infront of buyers from around the world.
“We are promoting our fresh Florida frog legs,” said Margie Brozanski of Stokes Fish Company. “There are a very few suppliers that actually harvest the frogs, but we have a gentlemen that we have using for some time to bring our product to market.”
According to Brozanski, harvesting frogs takes place at night. Equipped with a light and a gig, the Florida fisherman will harvest has many as 200 frogs a night from central Florida lakes.
“He tells me when he turns his light upon the bank, sometimes hundreds of frogs eyes will be caught in the illumination,” she said. “When he sees those eyes glow back at him that is where he stops and starts gigging frogs.
“We sell mostly to wholesalers who in turn sell to chefs. Of course some go to little cafes that fry them up, but one of the most unique dishes in which are legs are used is conceived by a Chicago chef you uses them in a frog leg salad and these dinners are selling at over $400 a person.”
Crystal Seas Oyster – Mississippi
Throughout the show oysters were everywhere. Gulf oysters joined their east and west coast cousins, as well as oysters from Canada and beyond.
Tara Winchester, of Crystal Seas Oysters in Pass Christian, Mississippi, said she has received a lot of interest in her unique tasting product. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
Tara Winchester, of Crystal Seas Oysters in Pass Christian, Mississippi, said she has received a lot of interest in her unique tasting product.
“Our wild caught Gulf Oysters are IQF processed so they are frozen very fresh with very little taste difference,” she explained placing her product on a boat like display for passers-by to taste. “They are easy to ship and have a very long shelf life.”
The company also offers an in shell irradiate oyster called Crystal Clear.
“With this unique process vibrio is reduced to a non-detectable level, while leaving the oyster unharmed. This is a live oyster that doesn’t lose taste or quality, buyers are seeing this as the future of oysters,” she said.
Paul Piazza and Son Shrimp – Louisiana
“Buyers are asking a lot of questions on how our business relates to the worldwide shrimp industry, which includes imported shrimp,” said Johnny Price, of Paul Piazza and Son Shrimp, as he manned the company’s booth located in the Louisiana Seafood pavilion. “They are asking questions about supply, sustainability, as well as traceability.
“Buyers are asking a lot of questions on how our business relates to the worldwide shrimp industry, which includes imported shrimp,” said Johnny Price, of Paul Piazza Shrimp. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
According to Price, his company offers unequalled access as far as sustainability and traceability in the industry.
“We taken great measures to adhere to sustainability standards, and enhance those standards in the future,” he explained. “ We have a traceability program unique to our company. We have a system that can we can trace product back to the vessel on which it was caught. We are in control of the product from the harvest to the packing.
Currently the company ships mainly in the U.S., with some going to the Bahamas.
“We are also getting some foreign interest this year, he said about visitors to his booth. “We have had a lot of questions about exporting Gulf shrimp outside of the U.S.”
Southwest Airlines -Texas
With a increased demand for fresh, sustainable seafood, especially from the Gulf of Mexico, Southwest Airlines senior manager of Cargo Sales Steve Massa said “shipping via regularly scheduled commercial carriers like Southwest just makes sense.”
Southwest seafood air cargo team (l-r): Steve Massa, Seth Keffas, Heidi Gordon and Russ Atkinson. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
“The main reason Gulf seafood should be shipped via Southwest is because it retains the freshness of the product, while extending the shelve life more than what you would experience with other transportation modes,” he said while working his strategically located booth.
“We are already a larger shipper of Gulf seafood, especially out of New Orleans and Houston,” said Massa. “It is really amazing that this seafood goes to almost every major market in the U.S.”
Massa, who has worked for numerous years with Gulf Seafood Institute’s chairman Harlon Pearce, owner of Harlon’s LA Fish in New Orleans, said that Southwest is looking to become a leader in Gulf Seafood shipping via passenger carrier air cargo.
“We are working on an opportunity to do some plane side scanning in the near future, and that enhance the tractability of Gulf seafood, as well as any cargo, on Southwest Airline.”
Louisiana Seafood Pavilion
At the Louisiana seafood pavilion, the show has generated some real interest in Gulf Seafood from foreign buyers.
Jon Bell, Ph.D.(l), a seafood expert with Sea Grant, and co-worker Rex Caffey at the Louisiana seafood pavilion. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
“I have heard that overseas markets are developing an interest in Gulf seafood, but we have actually had four serious inquires from buyers outside of the U.S. interested buying some of our fish production, “said Jon Bell, Ph.D., a seafood expert with SeaGrant working the booth. “We have had visitors from China, Thailand, as well as South and Central America. These buyers are showing a lot of interest.”
According to Bell, the overseas buyers are especially interested in the black drum fishery.
Attending his first Boston Seafood Show, Rex Caffey, a collegue of Bell’s, said he was “just wowed with the show. I think have tasted more seafood samples than should be legally allowed, I need to go lay down or something.”
Laitram Machinery – Louisiana
For Chuck Ledet, the general manager at Laitram Machinery, the Boston show offers a chance to get in front of customers to listen to their problems and solution needs. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
For Chuck Ledet, the general manager at Laitram Machinery, the Boston show offers a chance to get in front of customers to listen to their problems and solution needs. Laitram manufactures a full equipment suite of machinery for the shrimp industry including; forced convection low temperature cookers, shrimp peelers, automatic devainers as well as grading equipment at sorts shrimp into various pound sizes.
“Right now are company delivers an equipment suite that meets the demand of processors for higher quality, higher yield to increase their profit for pound,” he said. “That is why we are here, to find out from our customers what we need to do to help them achieve that.”
Ledeg sees farm raised shrimp as a fast growing segment of business. “We will always be there for our Gulf of Mexico processors, but we see just an incredible growth opportunity in farm raised shrimp. We are making significant improvement to our equipment to deliever to meet their high quality standards.”
Refrigerated Express – Florida
For Patrick Barker of Refrigerated Express, a leading trucker of Gulf seafood throughout the U.S., the show has presented one particular challenge.
Patrick Barker (r) of Refrigerated Express with Louisina Chef Cody Carrol of Hot Tails. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
“I have been working with the show’s organizers, as well as the Boston Police, to get the our Louisiana Seafood wrapped trucks in front of the convention center at during peak traffic,” he said. “I would really like to have them be in front of the convention center as everyone is entering and exiting the show. This would be great exposure for Louisiana, as well as Gulf, seafood.”
According to Barker, his seafood wrapped trucks travel the U.S. as moving billboards for the seafood coming from the Gulf of Mexico.
“You may not realize this, but a billboard in New York City can go for as high as a million dollars a month,” he said as he worked out logistics for morning exposure. “Our moving billboards going through the city are a fraction of that cost. We are proud that we have the opportunity to showcase the products of the Gulf.”
Stella Maris Seafood – Mississippi
David Gautier said interest has been high for Gulf wild caught shrimp. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
For David Gautier of Stella Maris Seafood in Mississippi, interest has been high for Gulf wild caught shrimp, especially sustainable wild caught coming from properly managed fisheries.
Working the out of the Mississippi seafood pavilion sponsored by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, he said attendance and interest have been at an all time high.
“We ship white, browns, Key West pinks and rock shrimp throughout the U.S., as well as Canada,” he said. “With imported shrimp at the lowest levels ever, the prices of wild caught Gulf shrimp are at some of the highest I have ever seen. This has been a great opportunity for our boats to finally make some money, and hopefully put some away for a rainy day.
C.F Gollott and Sons – Mississippi
“This has been a great show, we have had an opportunity to meet with a lot of our existing clients and see them face to face while at the same time pick up a lot of new leads.” said Chris Lyons of C.F Gallott and Sons. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
“This has been a great show, we have had an opportunity to meet with a lot of our existing clients and see them face to face while at the same time pick up a lot of new leads.” said Chris Lyons of C.F Gallott and Sons, a Gulf shrimp processor in Mississippi.
According to Lyons, his company is “keeping an eye on imports this year, probably more than they ever have because of the volume they sell into the U.S. often dictates the market.” He sees shrimp prices for the upcoming year remaining high, close to current levels.
“We might see a slight dip in price in May and June,” he said. “After the season starts I think that window is going to close when buyers realize that imports are going to stay high.”
Audubon Institute’s G.U.L.F. – Louisiana
According to John Fallow working the Audubon Institute booth hidden near the back of the show, the response to the recently announced G.U.L.F. FINFO website has been positive. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
According to John Fallow working the Audubon Institute’s G.U.L.F. booth hidden near the back of the show, the response to the recently announced G.U.L.F. FINFO website has been positive.
“The show attendees are really responding to the unified holistic approach to Gulf Seafood though marketability, sustainability and traceability,” he said. “They are excited that the FINFO website has the needed information at one click. They are excited to see that we are all working together at different levels, from management though industry through NGO’s.”
Thanks for coming by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board booth (referred to in the story as the Louisiana Pavilllion). We were very pleased with the great interest in Louisiana Seafood as a whole and in the products exhibiting with us at the show. Thanks to the folks from Sea Grant, Wildlife & Fisheries and Event Specialists who helped us work the booth. Special thanks to Louisiana’s King & Queen of Seafood, Chefs Cody & Samantha Carroll, along with Chef Monica Larousse of the John Folse Culinary Institue. Their outstanding dishes made our booth a don’t miss at the show.