Board members of the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers on April 10 approved $1 million in funding for the second round of a GAPP program to fund 12 projects promoting wild Alaska Pollock to consumers.
Each partnership will offer matching investment in companies engaged in the wild Alaska Pollock industry through GAPP’s North American Partnership Program.
“This unprecedented level of investment by the industry in these projects show just how much confidence the GAPP board, and broader industry, has in this program, its ability to build excitement and demand for will Alaska Pollock, and in the fact that the story and attributes of wild Alaska Pollock are resonating with today’s consumer like never before,” said Craig Morris, chief executive officer of GAPP.
The program was conceived by the GAPP board to recognize and provide support for companies looking to bring new, innovative products to market or introduce the fish to food influencers and decision makers at forums where this fish had not had previous visibility.
Out of a record number of applications for the second round of funding, the board selected 12 proposals. For 2019-2020, GAPP has set aside fully $3 million toward this initiative and has now earmarked nearly $1.3 million to date toward partnerships in the first two rounds of funding.
Second round partners including High Liner Foods and True North Seafood will use their partnership funds to bring new to the market innovative products utilizing wild Alaska Pollock. Others, like Fishpeople, will utilize partnership funds to deliver the fish to consumers in their Wildly Delicious Seafood Kits available in retail shops and online.
Funding also is going to AMERICAN seafoods to expand its Perfect Pollock Portions to other test markets and to Trident Seafoods to bring their award-winning Protein Noodles made of wild Alaska Pollock to big box stores in the Northeast and Bay area of California.
Each partner must bring equal or great funding for their project to the table.
