choosing four regional formulas for its 

 crab cakes. 



"One-size-fits-all doesn't always 

 work," Daniels says. 



5. Total quality program. 

 Purvis says that processors can't 



forget about product safety when 

 developing value-added dishes. 



"The safety of the customer must 

 come first," says Purvis. "You don't 

 go past 'go' and collect $200 if anyone 

 is hurt." 



6. Product introduction. 



"This is the most exciting part," 

 Purvis says. "You need a strong sales 

 force. That's not my strong point. I 

 decided to outsource (contract) that 

 part of the work and concentrate on 

 the production." 



His cooked, quick-frozen crab 

 clusters are a convenience product, 

 developed to add culinary beauty and 

 authenticity to seafood gumbos and 

 stews. The reddish clusters are nestled 

 on a foam tray and covered in a 

 plastic film. 



The plastic film was the hitch. 

 It took two years to find a film that 

 the crab claws won't penetrate. 



The seafood dip development 

 had its problems too, Purvis says. He 

 first developed a freeze-and-thaw dip 



destined for the frozen-food case. 

 He sold 100 cases to one outlet, 50 to 

 another. There was never a repeat order. 



"There's not a housewife in 

 America who looks for dip in the frozen 

 food section of the grocery store," 

 Purvis says. "We had to back up and 

 punt again." 



On the second attempt, Purvis 

 developed a shelf-stable seafood dip that 

 required no refrigeration. It will be sold 

 alongside fresh fish and shellfish — an 

 area of the store where consumers will 

 be looking for seafood products. Called 

 Sea Snacks, the dips are flavored with 

 crab, shrimp, clams, lobster and fish. 

 The shrimp and crab Sea Snack dips 

 will be the first marketed. 



Purvis says that product develop- 

 ment has taught him perseverance. 



"I haven't added up the time I've 

 spent, and I'm ashamed to say how 

 much money I've invested in these 

 products," he says. "But I do believe 

 value-added is the way to go. 



"To beat the giants, you have to 

 have help from the university and the 

 state to have a chance," Purvis adds. 

 "But if I win, everybody wins. It 

 creates more economic activity. The 

 fishermen win. The processors win. 

 Consumers win." □ 



A Sampling of Value-Added 

 Seafood Products 



In scouring the grocery shelves 

 for value-added seafood products, I 

 found an amazing array of offerings. 



As I fished into the prepared 

 fresh seafood counter, I found 

 smoked salmon, salmon dip, salted 

 mackerel, smoked whitefish salad, 

 smoked tuna dip, cream cheese and 

 lox spread, ana imitation seafood 

 products made from minced fish. 



In the frozen-food section, 

 I netted linguini with seafood 

 marinara, seafood lasagna, grilled 

 fish with vegetables, tuna noodle 



casserole, clam strips, calamari 

 rings, shrimp stir fry, shrimp fajitas, 

 crab-stuffed fish, fish sticks, breaded 

 shrimp, breaded fish fillets, deviled 

 crabs and casino clams. 



Trolling down the canned-food 

 aisle, I discovered canned mussels, 

 clams, shrimp, crab, tuna, sardines, 

 anchovies, herring, oysters, 

 calamari, octopus and salmon; clam 

 chowder; crab soup; lobster bisque; 

 conch chowder; clam juice; and a 

 variety of seafood pates. 



Ready for dinner? □ 



