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.

You likely know about the world famous Copper River Salmon harvests, but have you met Copper River Seafoods?      Copper River Seafoods is an Alaska-based private company that harvests, processes and ships Alaska's seafood resources directly to wholesale and retail markets world wide.    While Copper River Seafoods (CRS) is well known as being a business founded by independent fishermen, there is much more these days differentiating this company from others in the marketplace.

Biologist.  Business woman.  Conservationist.  Philanthropist.  Optimist.  Collaborator.

Those are the words that come to mind when talking with Lauren Padawer, Founder and President of Alaska Glacial Mud company.    What also differentiates Lauren from the rest of the pack is that she commercialized a product that people had long discussed had intrinsic healing qualities - in Cordova, Alaska.    Yes, the center for famous Copper River Seafood is also home of a line of nourishing, high quality, beneficial skin care products.   Even the famous Copper River salmon harvesters use it - or at least one does.  Read full story below.

Over the past 25 years, Dave Beach and a core team of professional staff members have built and operated a business around the unique requirements for shipments of fresh seafood transporting through Anchorage. How much seafood? Between 15 and 18 million pounds of fresh seafood each and every year. Product comes from most locations around Alaska (except Southeast) and are handled by Movers, Inc's distribution facility and service company tucked in the center of air cargo activity at Ted Stevens International Airport.

What's new since Mover's 25th is that Lynden International acquired the Anchorage division of  Movers Inc. in April of this year.   Together, the companies will provide a broad spectrum of services for the Alaska seafood industry. See full story below.

Last issue, we promised an update on the documentary under development, ALASKA SALMON OMEGA-3. This is a refreshing outgrowth of the utilization of film used for marketing and education that we've earlier reported on from the wilds of Kodiak, Island.  Here is the complete story update on the film and who to contact to for ways to collaborate.

Did you know the Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank (CFAB) provides commercial financing up and down the supply chain of food, beverage and bio products in Alaska?     We are thrilled to have CFAB join with Global Food Collaborative and our members to create more and stronger businesses along the supply chain.   This is big news!  Why?   It's big news, because those harvesting or growing food are unique businesses that often are not generally well understood by conventional financial institutions.   Now consider growers, harvesters, manufacturers, etc. in Alaska and some of their seasonal and geographic challenges!   CFAB works exclusively with these companies and has for the past 27 years - and because CFAB operates as a cooperative, once you are accepted for a loan - you also are actually a member of the cooperative!

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.   Hit play button to view.
      

Three Bears Alaska has a new store in Butte, Montana to add to its already successful Alaskan grocery stores in Tok, Seward, Valdez, Kenai and Mat-Su; Like Alaska Silk Pie's below, Three Bears had a modest beginning, but built a sound business to serve its growing Alaskan clientele, as well as new clients in the lower 48 states.

Petersburg is well known for its bounty of different shrimp species including the small sweet Petersburg Shrimp (salad shrimp) to the jumbo and firm prawns, Beyond being known as "Little Norway", Petersburg is Alaska's shrimp fishing capitol. Dennis Sperl is well known in Petersburg forharvesting the world famous Petersburg Shrimp.

Nobody does it better.  The Crab Broker, once again, schedules its premier seafood industry event of the year -- the annual Crab Connoisseur Tour.   This annual trip celebrates the opening of the Alaska Bristol Bay Red King Crab fishery and will take chefs, retailers, and seafood professionals from all over the country to the International Port of Dutch Harbor, the scene of The Deadliest Catch.