Nimble Alaskans succeed with seafood in China: Alaska Wild--never farmed: Alaska seafood is more expensive than that from other countries, but through education, those in China are seeing the benefits of buying from the Great Land.

• Author: Thompson, Graham
• Position: Exports

The Chinese have been processing Alaska seafood for re-export for many years. But recently, they have started to eat it, too. What has changed?

Part of the answer is economic and social change in China itself. As the economy grows, the growing middle class has more disposable income. And seafood is an important part of local culinary culture, notably in the rich east-coast cities, and especially for weddings and other feasts-fish represents wealth. According to recent U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service data, for example, consumers in Shanghai spend 592 RMB (U.S. $71.50) annually on seafood products, around 14 percent of their total food expenditure. And recent food scares, including SARS and avian flu, have moved some consumers away from meat products.

But that is not the whole story. Since 1997, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute has devoted significant resources to developing the consumer market. As Robin Wang, chief China representative of ASMI, put it in a recent interview with Alaska Business Monthly in Shanghai, "our goal is to increase the awareness among Chinese trade and consumers while delivering the message that Alaska seafood is natural, healthy and high in quality." Species like black cod, snow crab, salmon, pollock, geoduck and Dungeness crab are now common sights on the seafood buffets of major hotels in Beijing and Shanghai, and in some supermarkets. Wang believes that "the future is very bright for Alaska seafood," and reports that they achieve several new clients every month.

PROMOTING ALASKA SEAFOOD

So how does ASMI promote its product? There are three streams of activity. The first is in the hotel and restaurant sector-chefs need to know what is available and how to use it, and many consumers try unusual foods when they are eating out. During 2004, one example was a promotion at the Dalian Furama Hotel, using crab, snow crab, halibut, king salmon and cod. Special flyers were distributed and an advertisement ran in Dalian Daily. Chefs in Shanghai, like Erich Garber at the Equatorial Hotel, agree that Alaska product is "good quality," but note that prices are "usually more expensive than competition from Europe." At the Westin, Chef Heinz Ritter says, "Alaska seafood is high quality and so are the prices."

Secondly, ASMI has run successful retail promotions with supermarkets like Wal-Mart, Metro, Parkson, RT-Mart, Auchan, Ito-Yokado, Century Mart, Price-Mart and Hy-Mart. These usually include cooking demonstrations to...