Thousands of fish products vie for attention at the annual International Boston Seafood Show every March. Each year, hundreds of those products are new to the market. Many producers of the new ones believe their product is unusual enough, offers an added convenience, or simply outshines someone else’s older version. Those producers enter their products in the annual new products competition.
This year, a record 55 new products entered the competition, but a fledgling company from Camden walked away with the top prize. Bistro Fresh, a company begun by Stephen Young of Camden only a year and a half ago, produced a line of entrees featuring fresh uncooked ingredients that can be microwaved in less than four minutes inside their innovative package that features a pop-up valve.
The product took first place in the retail division of the IBSS new products competition.
“Many consumers will take a seafood product home from the store, such as salmon, and if they have a bad experience with it, they won’t buy seafood again,” said Young. Before starting his own company, Young worked nine years for Ducktrap River Fish Farm, which was purchased by Norwegian seafood giant Fjord. “Usually it’s because they don’t know what to do with it. So we need to give them products that are more user-friendly,” he said.
The BistroFresh retail entrees contain no additives, just raw protein and vegetables. The exception is starches, and if the entree contains rice or potatoes, those are precooked.
“That was the attraction. It’s easy and fresh. The flavors are unique. Broccoli tastes like broccoli,” Young said. The ingredients come in a microwaveable plastic container with a pop-up valve that allows steam to escape when the appropriate internal temperature is reached, then shuts again to keep the product warm.
Two years ago Young discovered the packaging in Europe, where the technology has been in use for a few years. “It allows you to build up pressure inside the packaging. At one millibar of pressure, the valve pops up. The holes are a special shape, designed so just a certain amount of steam comes out, then the valves shut down again,” he said.
“You peel the film off the top by the two `ears’ on either end. They’re not hot, so you can pick the tray up, wait a minute, then grab the ears and peel it off,” said Young. “When you open it, there’s no blast of steam because of the valve. The entrees all cook within four minutes, most within three-and-a-half.” Young said the entrees have been served, still at proper eating temperature, up to half an hour after cooking. “If there are four people in the family, you can cook their meals separately, and you can all sit down to eat together.”
Bistro Fresh has a plant in Hartford, Connecticut now, but Young says the company is looking at opening plants in Atlanta and Sacramento. “Because of the fresh nature of the product, we need to be as close to our markets as possible,” said Young. “Hartford is easily accessible to New York and Boston.”
Retailer Whole Foods, a customer of Bistro Fresh, recently opened a warehouse close to the plant. The particular entree entered in the IBSS new product competition was the Salmon with Kashmiri Curry Sauce, but the line contains 17 complete entrees and 18 “component” meals. Entrees include seafood, pork, poultry and vegetarian meals, and component meals include seafood, vegetarian, chicken and pasta varieties. More entrees are planned soon for the line. A special, private-label version of the line is already carried by the Whole Foods retail chain under its 123Fresh label. The Maine-based product will soon be available widely in Maine, since another private label version, Inspirations, was planned for April in a highly-publicized launch in the Hannaford chain with 300 demos in the first three weeks, coupons, TV and radio ads and floor banners in every store.