23 September 2024

Thomas reporting
from Kazakhstan

Alexander and I have been in Kazakhstan for the past week to visit our many suppliers of freshwater fish. It is our annual September trip prior to the start of the main season.

The agenda is alignment of expectations and planning for the coming months in relation to quantities, prices and specifications, as well as a general status update.

Picture to the right: Almaty is one of the world's highest situated cities with the Alatau mountain range to the south

Kangamiut Seafood
is a main supplier
of freshwater fish

Kangamiut Seafood is today the world's largest importer and distributor of zander - a business that has been built up over the last 20 years and had its starting point in our own factory "Balyk Produkt Vostok" in north-eastern Kazakhstan close to the Mongolian border.

We sold the factory in 2012, but today we have numerous partnerships, some dating 20 years back. Today, our freshwater fish include zander, perch, pike, catfish and carp, which we sell in approximately 30 countries.

Picture to the left: Hand filleting of zander fillets at Rybprom

Continuous collaboration
to certify our suppliers

In addition to the commercial interactions, there is also a great deal of work in bringing the factories up to the standards required by our customers today. There is goodwill, but not the necessary skills to do this without our help. This collaborative project started 10 years ago, with SMETA certification for all the factories, and today we are the only distributor who can offer MSC certified zander fillets from Kazakhstan. It is an ongoing improvement process that requires a great deal of involvement from all parties.

Picture to the right: Alexander and Rybprom's management closely inspecting the work