GFC

And the 2009 winners are.......

Grower/Harvester/Direct-Marketer:  An individual, who has demonstrated leadership that grows, harvests or markets Alaska food, beverage or bio products.

       Michael East - Kahiltna Birchworks – 2009 Award Winner

Manufacturer/Processor:  An individual who has demonstrated leadership that processes or manufactures Alaska food, beverage or bio products.

       Geoff Larson – Alaskan Brewing Company – 2009 Award Winner

Alaska Champion: An individual that played a significant role in pulling Alaska food, beverage or bio products into the local, national or international marketplace.

        Rob George – The Crab Broker – 2009 Award Winner

Read complete article by linking on article title above.

PRESS RELEASE:  June 16, 2009

Emmonak, Alaska—With the latest signs from the Yukon River pointing to a plentiful chum run during the June opening, Kwik’pak Fisheries plans to launch its fully traceable keta salmon—“The King of Ketas”—in a major target-city push this season.

The campaign hits supermarkets and restaurants in the West, Southwest, Midwest, and East Coast in early July, and will feature ads, in-store specials, and food editor releases.  Major U.S. markets involved include Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, Houston, St. Louis, Chicago, Peoria, Upstate New York, and Boston.   In addition, many supermarkets will run the keta promotion store-wide in several cities. 

Kwik’pak is working with Seattle-based Trace Register (www.traceregister.com) to create a consumer-friendly label that purchasers of their salmon can “read” and trace back to the source, according to Kwik’pak’s General Manager, Jack Schultheis.  Schultheis said the use of the Trace Register™ system is designed to ensure that consumers are getting the product they are paying for—not a substitute. 

After 5 years, Global Food Collaborative, LLC. adds a new brand and product to increase the speed and accuracy of connecting the food, beverage and agri-products supply chain.      Professional Foods Group, LLC. was designed for qualified commercial buyers (retail, restaurant, grocery, food service, gift and manufacturing) to connect with and source directly from independent suppliers and their supply chain partners.    

New Member Discount:  30% (Expires September 30, 2009)

New Member Discount Code:  067eb4be 

www.ProfoodsGroup.com

So who is Professional Foods Group, LLC.?   

The developers and owners are Andrew Riehemann, Herb Dudley and Robin Richardson.

Who else are our first adopter - members wanting to stay connected with the supply chain and markets?

Alaskan Brewing Company

GCI

Gulkana Seafoods Direct

..........and now commercial buyers are members.    More on that later.

Tom Gemmell, Marine Conservation Alliance

Table of Contents

FEDERAL
1.       Crab fishery regs garner support, criticism at federal council meeting (6/12)
2.      Federal judge puts limit on Southeast halibut charters (6/12)
3.      NY Times Editorial.  Of Fish and Flexibility (6/12)
4.      Presidential memorandum. National Policy For the Oceans, Our Coasts, and The Great Lakes (6/12)
5.      Obama Declares June Oceans Month (6/15)
6.      The Whale Rescuers: National Marine Fisheries Service offers disentanglement workshops (6/10)
STATE
7.      Homer Tribune Editorial : Looking Inward for Answers to Fishing Questions (6/10)
8.      First king salmon expected in Yukon, but limits imposed (6/14)
9.      Opinion.  Let king salmon move up the Yukon (6/14)
MISC
10.  Boat builder Dave LeClercq helped launch Alaska's fishing fleet (6/13)

Continued By Linking On Article Title (Above)

Tom Gemmell, Marine Conservation Alliance

Fish Calendar 2009 [Regulatory Deadlines]

22-26 Jun.  3rd GLOBEC OSM. Marine ecosystems: from function to prediction, Victoria, BC 

Jun 30.  Deadline for SmartGear Competition, $30K Grand Prix, two $10K runner up prizes
Complete calendar by linking to article title above.

Kudo's to Sandro Lane of Alaska Protein Recovery who is manufacturing the new Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil and to Costco who is featuring the product in their warehouse stores.    

Take a look at pictures of food supply chains in textbooks or on the web. They often overlook this quiet, often invisible and most critical link.   Images usually render trucks, ships, airplanes and often distribution centers, but it is rare to see a picture of a fiber optic cable or a satellite included. In fact, it is tops on my list.

After all, it is communications that connects buyers and sellers.   It is communications that tells buyers when fish openings are and the status of their order.   It is data transmitted and received that communicates inventories, security clearances and inspection results.   It is communication systems that allow the Internet and the explosion of opportunities for individuals, communities and regions to market their unique products and services.   It has definitely been the foundation responsible for opening the world of opportunities for Alaska. 

For that reason, Brad Spees, VP Commercial Sales and Marketing, GCI accepted our invitation to participate in Global Food Alaska in 2007.   He is returning in 2009 to forge more solutions for commercial buyers and suppliers with the quiet and invisible and most critical link in the supply chain.

Read the complete story by clicking on the article title above.

Bill Webber, a lifetime resident of Cordova and commercial harvester of Alaska salmon was always curious what happened at the other end of his supply chain.    He wanted to know more about who bought it and what they thought about his product.    He wanted to meet and get to know the chef's and restaurant owners, as well as have them learn more about Alaska, the region, the harvest and the salmon.  He started Gulkana-Seafood Direct in 2002 to do exactly that. 

For 40 years Bill has been part of every seafood quality program and adopted those and many of his own technologies and processes to keep the quality bar as high as possible on his product.   With independent boutique clients throughout the US, Bill's skill as a fisherman and direct marketer is only surpassed by his communications with his buyers on each and every one of their fish.  It is a unique story often proudly displayed in the restaurants featuring the Gulkana Seafoods Direct, genuine Copper River salmon product.

Global Food Alaska takes place on the Kenai Peninsula on June 10th, 11th and 12th.   For that reason, we asked some of our local hosts for an update from 2008.

Kenai River Seafoods is a boutique processor that has a unique ownership.  Five of the six owners are well-established, commercial seafood harvesters from the Kenai Peninsula.   The remaining owner, Sean Crosby and his wife Karin have made a career of quality control - specific to Alaska's wild fisheries.   As a result, it is not surprising that Kenai River Seafoods focuses on quality over quantity.

The boutique processor has a solid reputation with their customers who express strong loyalty to the Kenai River and Kenai Wild Brand.      This loyalty is founded in the people and the community that stands behind the small processor.    

Kahiltna Birchworks, Owned and Operated by Michael East and Dulce Ben-East take you into their unique harvest and production of Alaska birch syrup and products.   The piece is insightful on their 17 years of history and philosophy on sustainable harvest and business.