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Ref:690/03 |
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united states
- Apr 21, 2003 |
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Kentucky's Aquaculture
Industry Receives Major Boost from Kroger |
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Kentucky's catfish
co-op has received an order for 84,000 pounds of fish
from Kroger, its leading retail outlet and the largest
supermarket chain in the United States.
The order was placed to coincide with the observance
of Lent, said Bob Zumwalt, general manager of the
Purchase Area Aquaculture Cooperative (PAAC) in Graves
County.
Kroger also is promoting PAAC catfish in its
advertising. 'Every time they've run an ad, they've
run out of our product, Zumwalt said.
The fish are available in Kroger supermarkets
throughout most of Kentucky, Tennessee and southern
Illinois and can also be found in restaurants and
other retail outlets in western Kentucky, southern
Illinois and southeastern Missouri as well as most
Kentucky state parks.
'Kroger has found a very receptive audience for the
product,' said Steve Smith of Fish Market Seafoods in
Louisville, which is brokering the catfish sale to
Kroger. 'The PAAC has done a good job of shaping their
program to what the customer wants. As a result,
they're getting big-time support from Kroger, because
the product is selling.'
Zumwalt said the PAAC is processing 15,000 pounds live
weight a day. The co-op's plant, which employs 43
workers, can process as much as 25,000 pounds a day,
he said.
The 7,200-s.f. processing plant and adjacent
fingerling ponds were built in part with grants from
the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. The Kentucky
Agricultural Development Board also has awarded grants
to the PAAC, with Kentucky State University providing
technical assistance.
'it is a true example of how powerful collaboration
can benefit industry in Kentucky,' said Angela
Caporelli, aquaculture marketing specialist for the
Kentucky Department of Agriculture. |
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