International orders for NZ King Salmon stronger than ever

Nelson-based salmon producer NZ King Salmon on Apr. 25, April harvested its biggest-ever haul, despite the easing of European flight restrictions, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to NZ King Salmon.

The company reported full order books last week after flights were disrupted by the Iceland volcanic activity. It said at the time it would try to take advantage of the opportunity of selling more fish into Asian and Middle East markets.

Airspace closures caused by ash clouds spewing from Mt Eyjafjallajokull have been blamed for a breakdown in civil aviation worse than even the September 11 attacks in New York.

According to CEO Grant Rosewarne, the NZ King Salmon order books remain full despite a major easing in volcanic activity and the resumption of flights.

"It seems there is a sustained appetite for NZ King Salmon even after the re-opening of air space," Mr Rosewarne says. "On Sunday we harvested 15,400 fish - our biggest ever one-day haul - just to continue meeting repeat orders to the northern markets affected by delivery delays.

"Last week was a test of our ability to scale up to meet new business and NZ King Salmon together with its supply chain operators has demonstrated we can do it. Pleasingly, we have been able to do this while also maintaining domestic market order numbers and quality.

"The overseas orders are repeats and to us that confirms the feedback we have been getting from our wholesalers offshore - that consumers love the taste difference between our King salmon and the ordinary Atlantic salmon they have been used to."

Mr Rosewarne believes it is King Salmon's superior taste, colour, texture and twice the Omega-3s content over Atlantic salmon that is continuing to attract business from the markets in Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore, Osaka and Tokyo.

"Last week we shipped 104,000kgs more than in a standard week. That means there are probably around 500,000 consumers around the world who have tried NZ King Salmon for the first time and that's a considerable foothold we've established."

Mr Rosewarne says customers have appreciated the effort the company has put in to meet orders.

"We've had some excellent feedback with customers thanking us for our efforts at short notice with a common theme being that it will result in ongoing business from new customers."

The company's response to the crisis has attracted keen media interest both in New Zealand and overseas. Mr Rosewarne says news items appeared in international editions of Yahoo, CNN, Singapore's New Straits Times and World News Online among others.

NZ King Salmon is New Zealand's biggest integrated aquaculture producer and employs more than 400 skilled workers currently producing 7,500 metric tonnes of King salmon annually. The company is the world's biggest farmer and supplier of the King salmon variety and exports around half its production.

NZ King Salmon has the highest natural oil content of all salmon - a rich source of healthy Omega-3.