Smoked Fish
Tips & Advice to help you make your decision on Smoked Fish
Smoked fish is a delicacy that is prized in many cultures. Salmon may be the most popular type of smoked fish, but trout, whitefish, and herring are also popular choices.
While some small businesses that process and distribute smoked fish have sold out to larger companies, others still survive and thrive. While the work is often challenging, modern technology has made it easier. Several decades ago, smoked fish was sliced by hand. Nowadays, machines often do the slicing and the packaging, which makes the operation run far more efficiently.
Some smoked fish processors are injecting new life into their businesses by introducing new products, redoing their websites to get more Internet traffic, redesigning packages for a more modern look and a more consistent brand image, and emphasizing the health benefits of their products.
Some small smoked-fish businesses sell directly to consumers, either in their own local stores or online. Others sell to national grocery chains, such as Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. To attract online shoppers, put high-quality photographs of gift baskets on your site, as well as recipes and other written material that will keep people coming back. To get into high-end national stores, it helps to have a track record of good sales locally. Quality, of course, is key.
To learn more about smoked fish, see the Business.com links on this page.
Smoked Fish
Offer smoked fish in your retail or gift shopBy Niki Hampton, Freelance Journalist Self Employed Smoked seafood is available in all areas of the country and all over the world. You can create a niche market by also offering smoked fish dip recipes while offering to sell instructions to customers on how to smoke fish. Narrow down the smoked seafood products you will be able to sell, find a reputable smoked fish supplier and expand your offerings.
1. Conduct a survey to decide which smoked seafood to sell.
2. Find a reputable, high-quality smoked fish supplier.
3. Set up your smoked fish selection and advertise to the right target market for optimum sales.
Decide which smoked fish to sell
There are many varieties of smoked fish available and most of the suppliers offer them all. To find out what will actually sell in your store, survey your customers and ask what they want. Add to that research the kinds of smoked fish that are most popular, like smoked salmon, and the local fish favorites. Make a list and set out to find the best smoked fish supplier for your business.
Try:
Learn about fish smoking methods, tips and warnings at the Seafood Network Information Center at the Sea Grant Extension Program which is part of the University of California Davis. Fish4Fun.com offers a wealth of information about smoking fish, which fish are the best to smoke and the best areas to buy your smoked fish.
Find a smoked fish supplier
The most important aspect of selling smoked fish is freshness. You must buy smoked fish from a reputable seller. While it's true the smoking process preserves, the flavor is also more intense and moist the fresher the smoked fish is. Ideally, you want to find a local smoked fish business to provide your inventory. You should also try to have a hand in selecting the fish and seafood to be smoked.
Try:
Consider the areas most known for their smoked seafood, generally the Great Lakes area, Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Springfield Smoked Fish Company located in Massachusetts has been in business since 1934. They offer two day shipping and have a huge selection of smoked fish available. Lake Superior Fish Company is another quality smoked fish supplier that offers professional customer service and a high-quality product line.
Set up your smoked fish for success
Create an inviting area in which to sell your smoked seafood. There should be trinkets reminiscent of fishing around the table or display. Display smoked fish recipes, books on local fishing, postcards showing the local waterways, smoked fish distributor information and anything else you find will draw the eye, and more importantly the hand, to your smoked seafood inventory.
Try:
3Men.com offers instructions on how to smoke fish and an incredible list of smoked fish recipes. One great book available that you can offer in your store along with your smoked fish display is "The 2000 Import and Export Market for Dried, Salted, Preserved and Smoked Fish in United States" by the Smoked Fish Research Group.
- Smoking fish onsite is an option, though you must make sure you know exactly what you are doing and check for necessary licenses before serving to the public.
Award winning smoked fish, caviar, kosher deli meats shipped overnight
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