THE controlled environment distribution chain pioneered on the Humber to transport fresh fish from sustainable resources in Nordic waters to the UK market has been extended into Europe.
Atlantic Fresh Ltd,which has its head office in Grimsby and was established by the merger of Hull and Grimsby fish companies at the beginning of this year,today opened a new sales and distribution centre in the French port of Boulogne.
Now the biggest supplier of Icelandic fish to the UK market,Atlantic Fresh sources the full range of North Atlantic species directly from more than 300 fishing vessels.
German-born Frank Hartmann,until recently a senior buyer with one of the leading French fish handling companies and with wide experience of European customers’ needs, is heading Atlantic Fresh Europe.
Magnus Gudmundsson,managing director of Atlantic Fresh Ltd,said:“This is customer-driven recognition of the Humber’s logistics expertise.It is more than just the mechanics of moving shortlife product around.Through our association with the Fishgate trading centre in Hull we have been able to prove to fish trade visitors from all over Europe that it is essential to have disciplined procedures and advanced IT and communications systems to meet the modern market needs.
“We have access to the best sustainable resources in the North Atlantic.We have traceability and we have the systems.To that we can now add the flexibility that comes with operating experience,allowing us to meet the needs of customers,large and small, across the full range of species.
“As the chilled foods market continues to expand we recognise the need not only for high volumes but also for high specification,lower volume raw material supplies for added value processed products which still have to reach the retail outlet with a good shelf life in hand.”
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