NZ King Salmon sales erupt in northern markets

There’s a silver lining to the grey volcanic cloud descending on Europe for one New Zealand business.

Marlborough salmon farmer NZ King Salmon has this week had a huge increase in orders from international customers following the eruption of Iceland’s Mt Eyjafjallajokull.

NZ King Salmon CEO Grant Rosewarne says customers in Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore, Osaka and Tokyo have all upped their orders substantially.

“Dubai’s order is 100 times the norm while orders from Bangkok are 10 times and the others have all doubled but it’s early days in the US and we are waiting to see what comes out of there,” Mr Rosewarne says.

The customers are unable to source fish from northern hemisphere suppliers affected by the flight restrictions in Europe.

“Today we have doubled our harvest - which is an extra 10,000 fish - and we’re putting on an extra shift,” Mr Rosewarne says.

“Of course, this is great news in terms of sales. But it’s also important in that many more diners in those markets can now experience our premium King salmon as opposed to the more common Atlantic salmon.

“We plan to ensure they both note the fact the fish is from New Zealand and also point out to them the superior taste, vibrant colour, firm texture and naturally-high omega 3 content of King salmon.”

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.

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