Maine seafood brands from oysters to eels made a splash at last week’s annual Seafood Expo North America in Boston, including a related event co-hosted by the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative and the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs.
Held at the historic Exchange Conference Center (formerly the Boston Fish Exchange) in the city’s Seaport District, the Maine Seafood Reception drew more than 200 industry attendees from across the United States, including 16 international buyers participating in a FoodExport USA buyers’ mission.
The reception was catered by Big Tree Catering, the team behind Portland’s Eventide restaurant.
“This reception was a wonderful opportunity to connect Maine’s premier seafood suppliers with key domestic and international buyers,”Janine Bisaillon-Cary, program manager for the MarketShare Food Accelerator program at the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs, told Mainebiz via email.
“It showcased not just the quality of our seafood, but also the collaborative spirit and innovation that defines Maine’s seafood industry,” she noted.
Signature event
The Maine Seafood Reception has become a signature event for Seafood Expo North America, offering industry leaders, buyers and partners a unique chance to experience the best of Maine seafood under one roof.
This year’s participants included American Unagi, an eel-focused aquaculture startup based in Waldoboro led by Sara Rademaker, who was recognized on the inaugural Mainebiz 40 Under 40 list in 2022.
At the expo itself, American Unagi won the Seafood Excellence Award for Best New Foodservice Product for its Gluten-Free Eel Kabayaki Fillet.
Products were judged by a trio of industry experts based on criteria including uniqueness and appropriateness to the market, taste profile, packaging, market potential, convenience, nutritional value and originality.
Other Maine companies in attendance at the Maine Seafood Reception were Blackstone Point Oyster Co.; Blue Hill Bay; Bristol Seafood; Cooke USA; Downeast Dayboat; Dunstan Smokehouse; Maine Ocean Farms; Spartan Sea Farms; Mere Point Oysters; Cozy Harbor Seafood; Nova Seafood; and Ready Seafood.
Portland-based Bristol Seafood is led by President and CEO Peter Handy, a Mainebiz 40 Under 40 honoree in 2022.
