Local production of cod in Paamiut, Greenland

Today, upwards of 80% of the inshore cod catch is packed headed and gutted and shipped for filleting or other processing abroad, because there previously has not been the capacity to process locally. Royal Greenland's vision is to reverse the tendency and complete the production of at least 80% of the catches within the country, shortening the supply chain to the markets considerably and at the same time creating jobs and value locally.

In order to obtain this goal, production of IQF and interleaved fillets has been set up in the Southwest Greenland town of Paamiut, located close to main catching grounds. In the start-up process, we have been able to draw on experience from a previous project, moving the production of Greenland Halibut fillets from China to Qasigiannguit, West Greenland. The move also makes it possible to produce single frozen filets, rather than double frozen, yielding a much better quality, both taste- and texture-wise.

Challenges of local production

One of the main concerns of fileting the Greenlandic cod locally used to be the relatively soft texture of the fish. However, this has been solved through close cooperation between local fishermen and the employees at Royal Greenland Paamiut, ensuring that bleeding, gutting and icing is done in the most optimal way ensuring a firm meat quality. In addition, timing when each fisherman delivers their catches to the factory means that it is easier to plan the production optimally. Factory Manager Pele Nathansen says: "In Paamiut, we have the possibility of processing the cod right after catch, making the quality of the end product very high. Together with the local fishermen, we have developed a best practice for handling the fish right from when it is taken out of the water, through cleansing, icing and labeling, leaving the best possible quality of raw material. So now both the employees and the supplying fishermen know how important these steps are for the end product."

In addition, it has been a challenge to get a qualified, reliable workforce for the plant, partly due to its remote location and the fact that the fishing, and thus production, season is quite short, from May to September. Off season, the permanently employed workers are offered education through our Royal Academy program [link til CSR på webben]. In addition, we are looking into possibilities of prolonging the season, for example by including other species or utilizing the raw material better by producing mince and blocks from the filet cut-offs. 

Future possibilities for Greenlandic cod production

So far, the feedback from customers in main markets (France, UK and US) has been great. A survey in the UK places the Paamiut cod close to Frozen at Sea quality-wise.

Until production is up to full speed in Paamiut, our cod production in China will create critical mass in the flow of raw material and ensure competitiveness and a high degree of service for our customers. In the future, it will be possible to expand locally with more production facilities South of Disco Bay, creating even more local Greenlandic jobs.

The future inflow of Greenlandic cod looks promising and we already have a number of different product specifications ready in Paamuit, which all have great potential for differentiation through storytelling about the Greenlandic origin.