Bloggin'
So, Fishpeople is back in the kitchen again! While we love our first four flavors – we know that we could riff for days on the theme of “fool-proof fish”! But how do you know when it’s good? Who is the authority on delicious? Well, we could bring on a celebrity chef, but Jaime was just too British, Emeril already has his own food line … and well, honestly all of them have too much hair gel.
So we did what we do best… we looked around in our back yard. Gratefully, we have such amazing talent here in the Pacific Northwest and an un-matched passion for indigenous cuisine. We also believe that the best work happens when we collaborate. We would like to introduce the Fishpeople Flavor Council: 
- Becky Selengut – “Outstanding culinarian” and author of the book Good Fish – for which she was given the Seafood Ambassador Award by the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. She is not only talented but embodies a person who gives to the place she lives – by using her skills to raise money and capacity at several non-profits.
- Martha Holmberg – After her recent release of the book Modern Sauces, we knew that Martha was the perfect person to join our team! (In our opinion nothing goes together better than fish & sauce!) Her love and knowledge for local edibles culminated in her founding MIX magazine – the go-to periodical on the Portland food scene.
- Cory Schreiber – Cory is, in fact, a NW-style celebrity chef. The restaurant he opened, Wildwood, is a beacon for those who come to Portland to experience the food that is from this unique land. His insight, skill and recipe suggestions have taken this new round of products to a whole new height.
Like a collection of elders – these wise food ambassadors are helping us to craft not only delicious meals, but a way to use our community to help us create to our highest potential. Stay tuned – we have ten new recipes on trial – and like a good reality show, not all of them will make it to the end!
We can’t tell you all of our secrets just yet… but I can give you some hints. Think warm, brothy fishy soups for your rainy NW days when you just can’t make it to the Pho restaurant, hand-crafted pastas for when you need the extra energy to push to the top of your day, and sauces that make you the expert in kitchen or over the grill.
If you ever get a chance to speak with our “Flounder” Duncan Berry, just bring up the Salmon River and watch him get dreamy-eyed. The Salmon River originates in the Coast range and meets the ocean just North of Lincoln City where it forms a small, beautiful sandy Penninsula that is part of WestWind – a 529 acre ecosystem. His home on the Oregon Coast is perched such that he observes this river on a daily basis and it is a deep passion of his.
In the fall of 2011, Duncan and a band of merry scientists answered the question – “Where does this river come from?” I can assure you, they didn’t use Google Earth to answer that question, oh no… they walked there. Or more correctly, they walked from there. You can read all about this journey in the September 2012 issue of Oregon’s Magazine – 1859. (Or, you could just follow this link.)
Just this past weekend, when the temperatures were in the 30’s, Duncan decided it would be a perfect inaugural day as his new role as a volunteer Native Fish Society River Steward. So, yes, he went swimming. In the Salmon River. In January. On his underwater journey, he encountered ice – and a 25 lb Chinook Salmon hanging out. Native fish found…. Check.
So… when we say we are “Fishpeople” you can see… we mean it. Even beyond reason.
As new food brand, there are like a million certifications we can consider. Truly. Each one comes with a pile of paperwork, as well as a series of fees from the minor to the exorbitant. It’s important to dig deep and truly look at what motivates you as a company as well as what resonates with others.
Also, with each logo comes a community. By jumping through the hoops you become the member of a club of other like-minded companies. Well, we knew from the very beginning that we wanted to surround our selves with the community at B Corp. Unlike traditional corporations, Certified B Corporations are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their employees, suppliers, community, consumers, and environment. This resonates deeply with our company which is founded its success on not only its sales targets, but also its impact and it is hard wired through all of our corporate agreements.
B Corporations are a new kind of company, which uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. Fishpeople was created as a way to address a serious problem in our state – the Oregon coast has a depressed economy, at the same time one of our most precious resources, seafood, is almost entirely shipped out onto the commodity market. We created our company to find a way to keep the added value of a seafood brand in our local community, while educating consumers about the health and environmental benefits of making good seafood choices. We believe that B Corp is the only certification that truly gets what motivates us as a company. The certifications are issued by Blabs and there are currently over 660 B Corps worldwide.
We are psyched about the company we are keeping, please take a look at all the BCorps out there and support them with your dollars – these are good people.
All moments in time are significant in some way – but we as a world have wrapped up some major time spans – not the least of which is the 13th B’aktun as measured by the Mayan calendar. While I don’t have the cognitive ability (this afternoon) to write a thoughtful review of the past 5,125 years of humanism, I thought I might tell you a bit about the start of something really big…. Fishpeople Seafood!
So we technically began as a company last January when we filed with the state of Oregon and the Federal Government and got our corporate equivalent of a birth certificate. As we roll up on our first birthday it’s nice to recall the twinkle in Duncan Berry’s eye that began the momentum of this company. Our little pouches of fishy goodness are, in fact, an answer-in-the-making to a complex challenge. How do we support a food system that makes sense for our region and for our customers?
Starting at the coast and travelling inward through dairy farms and test kitchens, I sit from our office in NE Portland to report the following highlights of the past year:
- January – Fishpeople became an official corporate entity.
- February – Product development began in earnest with initial recipes being tested for final flavor.
- June - Teammates Karen McRae and Charlie Slate began showing their seafood knowledge by selling gorgeous fresh product at Farmer’s Markets around the Portland Area.
- July – We host a panel of consumers to try out 10 potential recipes to see what they like the best and they chose their four favorites, which became our first for products.
- August – We got accepted into UNFI’s distribution system and welcomed by New Season’s as our first retail partner!
- October – We land on shelves in New Season’s and Whole Foods Markets. We move in to our new office thanks to our friends at Classic Foods.
- November – We are officially joined by outside investors who also see the potential of our company.
- December – Starting to gain a little press through the Ecotrope Blog, the Oregon Sustainable Business Journal, and more!
We would like to express extreme gratitude for all those that we have worked with over the past year to make this all possible. 2013 is our year to shine. Stay tuned as we are back in the kitchen scheming up new products to be released before the salmon return!
How is a person like a fish?
Sounds like an elementary school riddle… right? Well, as I’ve moved amongst the hustle bustle of the holiday season – being a “Fishperson” – I’ve wondered more and more about this very question. While sitting behind the wheel in traffic, it all may seem to be ungraceful – but with a bit of distance, the flow of people through the shopping mall is not too unlike that of a school of fish flowing through the ocean waters. Does that fin flapping in their face frustrate the same as the glow of brake lights on a dark and rainy afternoon?
Well, my quandary led me to this fascinating scientific experiment published last year. Apparently there are three basic rules of motion that are followed by any individual – be they human or aquatic in nature: “a short-range repulsive behavior, an intermediate range desire to align with neighbors, and a long-range attraction to the group as a whole.” Especially during this time of the year of heightened cultural patterns – this all seems to fit in pretty darn well.
But then I wonder – How is a fish like a person? Not just any person… but the most popular guy of the hour? Santa Claus! Well, the salmon return to us once a year to bring good tidings and cheer – as well as an amazing amount of healthy, life giving food! Like the miracle of one man delivering gifts to 170+ million children in one night, the returning of Salmon is equally mindboggling. So… we decided to mash these two miracles into one new icon – Salmon Claus!
Check out this video we shot here in Portland of our Salmon Claus on the streets at the Fremont Street Festival of Lights! Our Salmon Claus will be making another appearance this weekend at Pioneer Square… The question is – will he bring his tap shoes?
Fishpeople started with a simple idea. Taking the amazing ingredients that are abundant here in the Pacific Northwest, centered on seafood, and make it easy for people to enjoy. So we thought (being avid gardeners and food lovers) we know that you can grow peppers, fennel, garlic here – let’s get this stuff local!