Friday land-based salmon producer Pure Salmon launch its first two brands into the chiller cabinets of Japanese department stores.
Ãod and La Petite Smokehouse smoked salmon has been stocked by several “prestigious” Tokyo department stores such as Ginza Mitsukoshi and Isetan Shinjuku, according to the company posting on LinkedIn.
The entry follows the company’s August launch of branded smoked salmon into French retail.
“We can’t wait to let you know that our new brand La Petite Fabrique du Saumon Fumé is now available in France in Hyper & Supermarkets,†the group announced on LinkedIn at the time.
Although scarce on details, the product is reportedly produced at the company’s plant in Boulogne-sur-Mer.
In July, the company launched the brand in retailers in the Middle East for the first time, and is now available in seven LULU hypermarkets in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
“We are extremely proud to launch, for the first time in the world, La Petite Smokehouse brand,†the group said.
Pure Salmon — backed by investment group 8F — chose Boulogne-Sur-Mer, France, as the site of its second European operation, which will be the largest land-based salmon facility in the European Union to date. It also has a 580 metric-ton facility in Poland.
Construction of the French site was scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of 2020, with the first harvest of full-grown salmon expected in 2023.
The facility was expected to require $197 million (€165.8 million) worth of capital.
The investment group previously reported plans to build a 10,000 metric ton recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) to supply the European market.
The company previously stated it was deliberating between France and Italy, but also cited it chose France for being one of the largest salmon consumer bases.
Boulogne-sur-Mer is an ideal location due to its extensive transport links to the rest of France as well as neighboring countries, the company said. That means the salmon produced could be distributed to a market of around 80 million consumers within a 300-kilometer radius.
“We have chosen France over other European countries because of its long reputation for producing exceptionally high-quality food, the large salmon consumer base and also for the support and assistance we have received from all levels of government in France,†Stephane Farouze, board director of Pure Salmon and chairman and founder of 8F Asset Management, said.
Series of projects
8F’s Pure Salmon has been announcing a series of investments towards land-based projects for the past couple of years, the latest being a 10,000 metric-ton facility in Brunei.
In October 2019, the company announced the site in China would receive the largest portion of the investment funds at $650 million (€547.2 million) to produce 100,000 metric tons of salmon across five different facilities of 20,000 metric tons each.
In July 2019, the company also announced another land-based salmon project to be located in Lesotho, South Africa, worth $250 million (€210.5 million) and due to be finalized in 2023. The Lesotho project will include a hatchery, nursery, grow-out operation, as well as a processing and packaging plant.
Earlier in 2019, the company announced its US site will be built in the state of Virginia for close proximity to East Coast customers. The project was to receive $20 million (€16.8 million) in financial assistance from local government and development agencies.
In 2018, the company announced a $162 million (€136.4 million) investment to create “Soul of Japan,†a 10,000-metric ton land-based Atlantic salmon farm in Japan’s Mie prefecture.
It also has a 10,000 metric-ton farm in the Middle East.
The facilities in Poland, Japan, the US and France comprise phase one of Pure Salmon’s roll-out plans and contribute 40,500 metric tons of production to its 260,000-ton global target.
Published by Intrafish by Rachel Mutter
