European Leader in Gourmet Style Crayfish Targets Middle East Market

Crayfish play a major role due to its high contents of unsaturated Omega-3-fatty acids which are becoming more and more important with consumers’ increasing nutritional awareness.

12 Jan 2010 ---- ALFOCAN, S.A., established in Seville in 1987, offers a gourmet-style assortment of high-quality, 100 % natural products of wild-caught crayfish without any additional preserving agents or colourings and has become the European leader for processing and marketing “Procambarus clarkii” crayfish. These freshwater crustaceans are caught in the traditional manner in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, which, after China and the United States, is the world’s largest fishing and production area.

Its centre of production, which is situated in Southern Spain and has an annual production exceeding 2,000 tonnes, is endowed with modern infrastructure and technology, something in which the company has been investing ever since its establishment.

ALFOCAN has obtained the ISO 14001 certificate in recognition of its efforts to maintain quality and protect the environment. Meeting high standards regarding product quality, resource sustainability and food safety, ALFOCAN has been certified by the Andalusian government and is the first company ever to present a crayfish-assortment under the “calidad certificada” (certified quality) label. As far as food safety on the international level is concerned, the BRC issue 5 (Grade: A) and IFS version 5 (Higher Level) certifications have been granted as well.

Thanks to this range of quality-certificates, ALFOCAN has been able to maintain and even expand its position as the leading supplier of crayfish in Europe. More than bare industrial standards, every audit and renewal represents a confirmation of top-quality standards which our highly-esteemed customers have been appreciating ever since they started to work with ALFOCAN: They rely on our diverse portfolio of unique selling propositions combining

- over twenty years acquired mono-product expertise
- rigorous selection of raw material
- mastering of the preparation process
- guaranteed food security and traceability
- environmental respect

Moreover, ALFOCAN is working closely together with the pharmaceutical department at the University of Seville regarding the investigation of additional values in nutrition. Crayfish play a major role due to its high contents of unsaturated Omega-3-fatty acids which are becoming more and more important with consumers’ increasing nutritional awareness.

ALFOCAN's assortment is destined for the gourmet-style retail as well as the catering sector and is exported to countries such as France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Austria, Finland, Poland, Russia and the United States. In order to guarantee a non-stop supply of frozen products throughout the year, ALFOCAN maintains its stock-levels during the months when there is no production.
Starting with the selection of crayfish (species: Procambarus clarkii) caught in freshwater in Andalusia, ALFOCAN’s commitment to preserve the original quality characteristics guarantees
- a 100 % natural product: no chemical substances or food-additives are used throughout the manufacturing steps
- 100 % wild-caught: no aquaculture of any kind
- only live crayfish is used: no thawing of raw material

As ALFOCAN’s CEO Erwin Alderlieste explains, “the increasing interest in products free of conserving or coloring agents and without any food-additives whatsoever does not only emphasize a shift towards higher quality. It also reassures us about the consumer’s awareness and his focus on 100 % natural food.”

ALFOCAN’s assortment will be presented for the first time to the GULFOOD visitors. “Having received the Prix d’Elite in the category Best Foodservice Product 2009 at last year’s edition of the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels as well as the growing sales in the airline catering business have confirmed the increasing demand of gourmet-style crayfish-products for the food-industry,” emphasizes Klaus Baumann responsible for International Sales and Marketing. “GULFOOD 2010 is the ideal event to present our very specific, gourmet-style products of 100 % natural, wild-caught freshwater crayfish to the food-service and retail professionals and our participation will certainly set the stage for long-term business relationships expanding our export activities to the Middle East.”