A capital day for Salmon Evolution
Norwegian on-land salmon farmer’s fish went on sale in Oslo for first time yesterday
Fish produced by Norwegian on-land farmer Salmon Evolution have gone on sale in the country’s capital, Oslo, for the first time.
Salmon from the company’s first batch of fish became available in nine MENY stores and a sushi restaurant yesterday.
Salmon Evolution, based on Indre Harøy (Harøy Island) on Norway’s west coast, stocked its first smolts at an average weight of 300 grams at the end of March this year and began harvesting them last month, making products available for consumers in its home region.
Chief commercial officer Odd Frode Roaldsnes said the local launch campaign had exceeded all expectations and feedback from customers had been “overwhelmingly good”, and it was now ready to expand sales to Oslo.
Colour 'like wild salmon'
“We received the fresh salmon from Salmon Evolution today,” said Thord Kleven, fresh fish manager at MENY Tveita in a press release on Salmon Evolution’s website. “What an amazing quality. Perfect for producing both fillets and portions. The colour reminds me of wild salmon.”
“We are excited to be reaching out to the salmon lovers of Oslo with our brand-new product, sustainably raised on land”, says Roaldsnes. “I hope many people will seize the opportunity to get a taste at their nearest MENY store.”
Salmon Evolution marketing manager Ingrid Humlung Scheie told Fish Farming Expert that the company received feedback from consumers through social media.
“We also get feedback from those who are selling the product,” said Scheie.
One of the few
Salmon Evolution is one of only a handful of on-land salmon farmers producing fish for sale in Europe and with a 7,900 tonne (head-on gutted) first phase now almost complete, it will quickly become the biggest. Fully developed, the Indre Harøy facility will have an annual capacity of 31,500 tonnes HOG.
Swiss Alpine Fish produces around 600 tonnes of Atlantic salmon a year in a land-based recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility in Lostallo, in the Italian speaking region of the country, and has 336 outlets.
RAS supplier and fish farmer AquaMaof produces around 450 tonnes of salmon a year at its facility in Poland, which is run as an R&D facility and a commercial farm. Fredrikstad Seafood, south of Oslo, expects to grow 800-900 tonnes of salmon in its RAS this year, although it plans to switch to yellowtail kingfish as these fish fetch a better price.
