On April 24, Commodity Forwarders, Inc., attended the Seafood Expo Global in Brussels, Belgium. Known as the “Granddaddy of Seafood Shows,” this is the largest annual show we attend with more countries, visitors and vendors than any other. Our goal in attending is always to meet and talk to our current and prospective customers and other industry professionals all over the world to better understand their needs for the coming year. We offer advice and guidance on logistics support for buyers and are on hand to offer our industry expertise to consignees as we are an authority on how to efficiently move fresh and frozen seafood to Europe. Attending this year with the Alaskan Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), we again helped coordinate the shipment of dry, fresh, and frozen samples, for their members, to promote sustainable Alaskan seafood worldwide.
Advocating for sustainable seafood and responsible fishing practices, ASMI looks to create partners who are committed to global food security and understand that fishing is a generations-deep family tradition and form of sustenance and support for many in Alaska. ASMI is funded by both the seafood industry and the state of Alaska to promote Alaskan seafood products and looks to create partnerships and opportunities for partnerships. CFI supports ASMI’s efforts as they promote our customers’ products worldwide and endorse sustainable seafood policies and responsible seafood products around the globe.
One highlight for everyone was ASMI’s food truck*, which was on location giving out samples brought to Europe to showcase the various samples for attendees. The lanes of the expo stretched on into different countries and suppliers all waiting eagerly to hand out food and discuss the seafood industries of their regions. While it can feel overwhelming and our feet ache at the end of each night, having so many people in one place allows us to focus our logistics into a global picture. We can meet with a myriad of suppliers to coordinate with them and help plan for better efficiency. By explaining the logistics of new joint ventures, we can illustrate greater savings and value for all of our clients and their new partnerships.
This year’s event was very well attended with a positive overall feeling for the seafood industry in the year to come. Shifting away from frozen refresh programs to focus more on the fresh seafood offerings, there are many opportunities coming from the European marketplace, especially for fresh salmon. This affords us the chance to make important connections with suppliers looking to meet those needs for the next few years. With decades of experience handling exactly those needs, CFI looks forward to being a major part of not only that trend, but also the next Seafood Expo Global.
*Featured in our cover photo.
