Wild Alaska salmon, cod and
pollock are in the spotlight this week at SIAL Brazil, a major food and
beverage trade show in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The promoter at the Alaska
Seafood Marketing Institute’s booth at SIAL Brazil is Noronha Pescados of
Recife, which is targeting middle class and upper middle class shoppers in
retail markets. The company plans in-store demonstrations, and recipes will be
included with the packages of filleted fish. The big seafood competition in
this beef-eating nation, according to ASMI, is Atlantic cod and Chilean salmon.
The company will also benefit
from ASMI’s generic promotional efforts in the market, including trade shows,
advertisements and recipes in food magazines, Sao Paulo Restaurant week, and
more, ASMI officials said.
“The market for Alaska
seafood in Brazil is showing rapid growth,” said Michael Cerne, executive
director of the state’s seafood marketing entity.
ASMI opened an office in
Brazil in the fall of 2011 and conducted trade missions there in March and
December of 2012. ASMI’s market research indicates exports from Alaska to
Brazil doubled last year and that the trend should continue.
ASMI officials said that
Noronha Pescados will be importing the frozen headed and gutted salmon, cod and
pollock for further processing, to be sold directly to Walmart, Pao de Acucar,
Cencosud and other retail stores in Brazil.
In prior years, Alaska cod
destined for Brazil was first exported to Portugal and Norway, where it was
reprocessed as high value bacalhau- dried, salted cod. Under the new agreement
with Noronha Pescados, Alaska will retain full traceability and final product
quality control.