CARMEL, CA — New prizes in the Fish 2.0 business competition will give winners the most valuable advantage a growing seafood supplier can have: extended face-to-face meetings with executives from some of the biggest seafood buyers in the world.
High Liner Foods and Wabel are the first companies to offer Open Door prizes to top finishers in Fish 2.0, which connects innovative fishing and aquaculture businesses with investors seeking seafood sector opportunities that will produce financial, environmental and social returns. The competition is open to both established and early-stage businesses. Fish 2.0 is especially encouraging growth companies to enter, and the new prizes are geared toward revenue-generating businesses. Entrants must apply at fish20.org by April 27, 2015.
High Liner: half-day meeting with global procurement
High Liner Foods is the leading North American processor and marketer of value-added frozen seafood. The High Liner Foods Open Door Prize is a half-day meeting with the company's global procurement vice president or a designated colleague at the company's Portsmouth, New Hampshire, office. The High Liner executive will provide advice on expanding the prizewinner's business into new markets and other business guidance. The prize will go to a Fish 2.0 finalist or runner-up that demonstrates readiness to work with a large-scale buyer partner and whose business growth will also expand its positive environmental or social impacts. High Liner sees this offer as an extension of its sustainability commitment.
"High Liner's sustainability journey has given us the privilege of building many new relationships with individuals and organizations around the world that are working toward a similar vision," says Paul Snow, executive vice president for global procurement at High Liner Foods. "We look forward to sharing our knowledge and expertise, and possibly even business opportunities, with the next generation of seafood businesses that accept the responsibility to ensure that our oceans and the species within them are healthy, so that we can continue to supply our customers with quality, healthful seafood for generations to come."
Wabel: meet with European retail seafood buyers, Summit invitation and more
Wabel is a European B2B marketplace designed to facilitate connections between private-label retailers and global suppliers of fresh and frozen food products. The Wabel Retail Open Door Prize includes an invitation to one Wabel Summit in 2016; at least eight prequalified face-to-face meetings with seafood buyers from Europe's largest retailers, such as Carrefour, Tesco, Auchan, Kaufland, Metro and Casino; a keynote presentation to European retail decision makers; and a one-year silver subscription to the Wabel Online Club. The prize will be awarded to a Fish 2.0 finalist or runner-up that supplies products with potential value to European big-box retailers and that is seeking market opportunities in Europe. For Wabel, the offer is a way to expand sustainable seafood market connections for its retail partners.
"European consumers are deeply concerned with sustainability in the fishing and aquaculture industries. Being able to provide products that answer this concern is a key success factor for major European retailers," says Pierre Asseo, co-founder and CEO of Wabel. "As a leader in the B2B marketplace, Wabel seeks to ensure a supply of healthful, responsibly raised and caught seafood. We are very pleased to team up with Fish 2.0 to bring the best of emerging sustainable fishing businesses to European retailers."
These are the first of several potential Open Door prizes that the competition may add before it wraps up in November, according to Fish 2.0 founder Monica Jain. "The spirit of these prizes is that if your company is doing good business, in terms of sustainability and growth, then doors will open for you," she says. "Their high value reflects these companies' commitment to helping sustainable seafood businesses succeed, as well as the quality of Fish 2.0 competitors. We welcome offers from like-minded companies that want to expand opportunities and connections for emerging seafood ventures by creating their own Open Door prizes."
About Fish 2.0
The Fish 2.0 business competition builds the knowledge and connections needed to increase investment in the sustainable seafood sector. Competitors improve their business models and learn how to approach investors, and investors gain early access to new deals and learn how sustainable seafood can help build their portfolios. During the 2013 competition, 160 businesses applied and 21 finalists presented to a room of over 100 investors. This year, businesses from around the world will compete for over $180,000 in cash prizes, and 36 finalists will present their ideas to investors. Find more information at www.fish20.org.
About High Liner Foods
High Liner Foods (TSE: HLF) is the leading North American processor and marketer of value-added frozen seafood. The company's retail branded products are sold throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico under the High Liner, Fisher Boy, Mirabel, Sea Cuisine and C. Wirthy labels, and are available in most grocery and club stores. High Liner Foods also sells branded products under the High Liner, Icelandic Seafood, FPI, Viking, Mirabel, Samband of Iceland and American Pride Seafood labels to restaurants and institutions and is a major supplier of private-label value-added seafood products to North American food retailers and food service distributors. Find more information at www.highlinerfoods.com.
About Wabel
Wabel is a European B2B marketplace designed to facilitate exchanges between private-label retailers and manufacturers worldwide. Wabel offers major retail groups the opportunity to easily search for and connect with partners for their private-label product lines. Online services include access to databases of private-label manufacturers, buyers and purchasing groups; market data; and communication on sourcing needs and requests in each marketplace. Offline, the company produces specialized Wabel Summits for the chilled and dairy, frozen, grocery, and household and personal care sectors. Find more information at www.wabel.com.
Source: Fish 2.0
