The Portland Press Herald / The Maine Sunday Telegram

March 18

Lobster cracking discount markets

By John Richardson jrichardson@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

Originally published in the Press Herald on Wednesday, October 9, 2009

Maine lobster has long been associated with white tablecloths and candlelight, but a South Portland-based dealer is putting its lobster where the customers are: in discount wholesale clubs and supermarket take-out aisles.

Portland Shellfish Inc. said Tuesday that its Claw Island brand Maine Lobster Claw and Knuckle Meat is now available in 22 BJ's Wholesale Clubs throughout New England. And its Portland Lighthouse Lobster Salad is now available in 6-ounce cups at Big Y Markets, a grocery store chain in western Massachusetts.

''You have to change. You can't be constant, especially when there are so many lobsters around to process,'' said Scout Wuerthner, sales manager for Portland Shellfish.

Maine's $235 million-a-year lobster industry has been struggling to sell its catch since last fall, when the global economic crisis sank demand for the luxury product. The weak market has produced bargain prices for locals and tourists this summer, and led many lobstermen to retail their own catches out of their homes or trucks, rather than settle for the lower wholesale price.

Portland Shellfish is one of the few processors in Maine that cook and freeze lobster meat for cruise ships, restaurants and retail markets around the world. It buys and processes 30,000 to 40,000 pounds of lobsters a day from July through November, the peak lobster season in Maine.

With business down in fine restaurants everywhere from Europe to Las Vegas, Portland Shellfish is expanding its retail supermarket business.

''The retail market's much better right now. (Customers) are not afraid to spend a little money and get something good they can eat at home, rather than go out to a restaurant,'' Wuerthner said.

Wuethner said the 15-ounce box of frozen claw and knuckle meat retails for about $20. He said he doesn't know Big Y Markets' retail prices for the lobster salad cups, which contain lobster meat, mayonnaise and celery. Big Y Markets also make take-out lobster rolls with the salad.

The new retail business is significant -- as many as 5,000 lobster salad cups a week, Wuerthner said. The company hopes its frozen lobster meat will be especially popular during the holiday season, when inexpensive fresh lobster won't be as easy to find as it is now.

The new business doesn't entirely make up for the drop in restaurant business, Wuerthner said. ''But does it help a lot? Yes.''

The strategy makes good sense to Marianne Lacroix, marketing director for the Maine Lobster Promotion Council. Historically, 75 percent of the lobster catch has gone to the restaurant market, she said. But that is changing.

''Now, with the economy where it is, restaurants are seeing a decline in visitors and in check averages,'' Lacroix said. ''Where people are shopping more at the grocery stores, I think it's a great time to make expansions into retail.''

Offering ready-to-eat lobster products like the salad cups can help expand the industry's markets, she said. ''Some people don't want to deal with the whole lobster.''

Portland Shellfish founder and President Jeff Holden said in a written statement that the new products are part of the company's effort to expand the market for Maine lobster. Even though worldwide demand has fallen, the lobster population is healthy and the catches are strong, he said.

''We believe in the sustainability practices which lobstermen are committed to, and we want to support fisheries and the industry as a whole by creating as much lobster demand as possible,'' he said. ''We're all in this together.''

 

Staff Writer John Richardson can be contacted at 791-6324 or at:

jrichardson@pressherald.com