MIAMI — For more than 80 years, Heinen’s Fine Foods has offered fresh food of the highest quality to Clevelanders, and the homegrown grocer today added Harmoniously Raised Verlasso® salmon to its sustainable seafood offerings. Each of the 17 Cleveland-area Heinen’s stores and one Chicago store now offer the sustainable farmed salmon that has a deep commitment to protecting ocean resources.
“We share Heinen’s vision of providing shoppers with high-quality fish while protecting ocean resources,” said Scott Nichols, director, Verlasso. “We look forward to partnering with Heinen’s to offer Verlasso salmon to Clevelanders.”
Verlasso’s harmonious approach to aquaculture includes:
• Saving 5.5 million pounds of overharvested feeder fish over the course of a year while still raising salmon rich in Omega-3s
• Never using growth hormones or preventative antibiotics
• Attaching a QR-coded gill tag to every fish directing customers to a website with background on the farm, farm manager and more about where their salmon was raised
Heinen’s decided to carry Verlasso based on the extraordinary taste of the fish and the harmoniously raised qualities of Verlasso, which together make it an exceptional and differentiating offering for customers.
“For generations, Heinen’s has sought out growers, ranchers and artisans committed to putting the best food on our customers’ tables, and Verlasso’s commitment to taste and traceability is a great story to tell at our seafood counter,” said Martha Gaul, seafood buyer and merchandiser for Heinen’s. “Verlasso employs practices that put the health of the fish and the environment first, resulting in a lean fish with a buttery texture and delicate taste. Our customers will love grilling, poaching, baking and more with Verlasso.”
To introduce Verlasso to Heinen’s shoppers throughout Cleveland, Heinen’s and Verlasso are collaborating to create in-store experiences. These events, scheduled for May 31 and June 1 at select Heinen’s stores, will include tasting and cooking demonstrations highlighting Verlasso salmon dishes for every season and sharing the approach of Verlasso to raising fish harmoniously.
For more information about Verlasso harmoniously raised salmon at Heinen’s, visit the seafood section of the grocer’s site. Or, visit Verlasso.com, join the conversation on the Verlasso Conversations blog, on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @VerlassoSalmon, or sign up for the Verlasso newsletter. Verlasso images are available for use on Flickr.
About Verlasso
Verlasso is committed to continuous improvement in its aquaculture practices, working in concert with some of the world’s leading thinkers to sustain people, fish and the planet. Verlasso harmoniously raised salmon received the SeaWeb Innovation Award in 2012, was recognized by Seafood International magazine as a “Best New Food of 2011,” and as a “Top Food Trend of 2012” by Specialty Food magazine.
Verlasso is a brand and trademark of AquaChile. AquaChile and DuPont formed a collaboration that will blend the collective innovation and aquaculture expertise of the companies to identify how to raise fish sustainably to provide nutritious protein for a growing population.
About Heinen’s
Founded in 1929 by Joe Heinen, Heinen’s has provided Northeast Ohio with unrivalled food and world class customer service. Today, Joe Heinen’s grandsons, twin brothers, Tom and Jeff Heinen carry on the Heinen’s legacy with 17 store locations throughout the greater Cleveland area and a new store in Barrington, Illinois.
Source: Verlasso
