Southeast Asia is ripe for Norwegian shellfish. The Norwegian Seafood Council is now boosting the export of crabs, crayfish, scallops and prawns to large cities in this populous region.
During the run-up to Christmas, Norway’s Seafood Council has organized three large shellfish events in Singapore, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Attending the Norwegian Seafood Council was the presence of Bocuse d’Or chef Christian André Pettersen.
Christian André Pettersen had good help from local chefs when he prepared Thai “buns” with king crab filling being prepared in Bangkok. Photo: Norwegian Seafood Council.
“In both Thailand and Singapore, people eat a lot of fish and shellfish. And in the big cities, restaurants abound, many of them are high-end venues.. It is especially in the later restaurants that exclusive Norwegian shellfish have their place.” says Asbjørn Warvik Rørtveit – Representative of the Norwegian Seafood Council in Southeast Asia.
Food & Hotel Vietnam 2022 Exhibition – The 11th International Exhibition (December 7-9) on food, beverages, restaurants and hotels was held with more than 300 exhibitors, from 50 countries with a display area of up to 10,000m2.
As part of the shellfish initiative, the Seafood Council participated for the first time with its own stand at the fair “Food and Hotels Vietnam” in Ho Chi Minh City.
“Vietnamese eat a lot of shellfish, approx. 7.5 kilos each per year. That is well above the average in most other countries. Therefore, wild-caught shellfish in Norway has attracted a large number of Vietnamese visitor”, says Guldbrandsen.
Guldbrandsen behind the refrigerated counter with fresh Norwegian seafood at the Food and Hotels Vietnam fair. Photo: Norwegian Seafood Council.
“People are still price sensitive, but the willingness to pay and interest in fresh and live seafood is high. Live Norwegian king crabs, and a refrigerated counter with fresh snow crab, brown crab, scallops, crayfish and prawns were therefore a draw for many of the approximately 15,000 visitors to the fair.” says Ørjan Kjærvik Olsen – Country manager for new markets.
The main focus was on shellfish, but overall we see a potential for all Norwegian seafood in Vietnam. Therefore, we will strengthen marketing activities in Vietnam so that the Vietnamese consumers are aware of the presence of Norwegian seafood, says Olsen.
At the event, there were many networking meetings between chefs, distributors, importers and exporters. This is a great start for Norwegian seafood in Vietnam,” added Mr. Ørjan Kjærvik Olsen.
Connection is precisely the point of the shellfish events. Visitors are not only introduced to Norwegian seafood, but also help convey the core values of the Norwegian seafood council . The message is “responsible development and protection of the natural cycle of all living in nature”.
The Norwegian Seafood Council classifies Vietnam as an emerging market. From 2023, the Norwegian Seafood Council will promote trade promotion for Norwegian seafood in Vietnam. Accordingly, Vietnamese consumers and importers will have support, such as the Joint Marketing Program sponsored by the Norwegian Seafood Council and Arctic Seafood Norway AS Co Program coordinator.
