Selling seafood
Food and drink ‘Amazon’ will bring seafood to international market
SCOTTISH seafood could soon be sold to the world via an online portal that operates as a food and drink ‘Amazon’. The project, government funded and still under development, would be a window for Scottish seafood producers to reach a global audience, Patrick Hughes, head of Seafood Scotland, told the BTA annual conference.
‘We have 15 in-market specialists around the world but imagine having an online portal that’s going global and we have the logistics and transportation to get this to a mass market,’ he told delegates.
‘From what we understand, there’s nobody else in the world doing something like this. So this could be transformational for Scotland.’
Hughes later told Fish Farmer the e-commerce platform was highlighted in Scotland’s Programme for Government 2019-2020, published last month.
A company called JW Filshill has been tasked with piloting the portal and it is now working with Seafood Scotland and Scotland Food and Drink.
‘It won’t necessarily be relevant to everyone. I imagine some of the larger seafood businesses have their own links to the markets,’ said Hughes.
‘But it will be of interest to those who have limited resources and maybe don’t have the expertise to get products to market.
‘The beauty about this potential route and this potential platform is that you can use the portal to bring your products to new markets, or you can use the portal simply as a shop window and then you can use your own logistics beyond that.’
He added: ‘We talk about Scotland being the land of food and drink and this is us putting something electronic on to a global platform that technically any consumer in the world can access.
‘Whether it will be totally global to begin with or in key markets, we don’t know yet, but this is potentially a game changer for the Scottish food and drink industry.’
Seafood Scotland currently relies on the local knowledge and expertise of 15 in-market specialists dotted in key export markets around the world.
They prepare the ground for Scottish seafood businesses, ahead of the main trade fairs, such as the Boston and Brussels seafood expos, the Anuga food fair, in Cologne this month, and the Japanese seafood exhibition in Tokyo.
Scotland has ambitions to double the value of food and drink exports to £30 billion by 2030, and to widen the product range exported, said Hughes.
There are 65 different seafood products from Scotland, but not many are exported, and there is scope for expansion, with trout exports too.
‘We need to build on Scotland’s enviable reputation as a land of food and drink, in a responsible, collaborative and streamlined way to make sure that we’re creating profitable growth for the industry. ‘We can learn from whisky how to develop export markets,’ he added. The focus is on four key regions: Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East, based on feedback from the industry.
‘Our focus is on high end food service, and the premium retail market,’ said Hughes. ‘We are not focusing on the international retailers that are big, because we have a finite product and simply can’t service those markets. We talk to more bespoke, niche, smaller retail operators.’
Each market demands a different approach. For the Asian consumer, for example, it’s all about trust and having the reassurance that the seafood is from a reputable source, said Hughes.
‘This is something we can play on, but there is work for us to do to look at these markets in more detail, and the key elements they will respond to.’
There has been significant growth in Scottish seafood exports to Asia and there are opportunities to grow further.
Europe is the biggest market, mostly for wild caught fish, but salmon exports are increasing. There are also opportunities in terms of the health and wellness market, and for artisan seafood products to make an impression there.
Innovation is another thing, but the market for innovative products is further ahead in the UK and in Europe than in, say, Canada.
But the US, the third largest market for Scottish seafood exports, isn’t afraid of products with multiple messages, whereas UK and European customers think that’s too much information, said Hughes.
In the Middle East, UAE is the biggest regional market, and here again health and wellness are key drivers.
Scottish food exports in North America have grown by 205 per cent since 2007, and by more than 600 per cent in Asia.
‘Can you imagine where we could potentially go in another 10 years, to other markets that could open up?’ said Hughes.
‘We have by no means exhausted all of these areas and we need to keep the momentum going.’
Outside of trade shows, successful marketing comes in different forms. Hughes said the Scottish Salmon Company invited a carefully selected party of eight Japanese journalists to Scotland last year.
They were ‘bowled over’ and, between them, wrote an impressive total of 72 articles that ran from July to December 2018.
‘It was a huge success in getting the message about Scottish seafood into the Japanese market.’
And initiatives such as Showcasing Scotland, which earlier this month brought 125 international buyers to the country, have in the past generated £30 million in business.
Seafood Scotland welcomed about 14 seafood buyers from the group and took them on a two-day tour of the Scottish seafood industry ahead of the main event, at Gleneagles Hotel.
First, the seafood buyers – from China, Japan, the US, Canada and the Middle East – were shown around Peterhead fish market.
Then they visited a smoked salmon producer, before travelling to the west coast to see a salmon farm and an oyster farm.
‘We’re trying to cram as much as we can in to show the breadth and depth of the Scottish seafood industry before dropping them off at Gleneagles,’ Hughes told Fish Farmer just before the promotion.
“This is a global platform that technically any consumer in the world access” can