Pärnu, Estonia-based FreshRex, a maker of canned and preserved seafood products, is moving to solar power.
A solar array being installed on and around the company’s facility, aided by a government program, will produce a total capacity of 490 kWh of renewable energy, according to FreshRex Manager Vaido Õun.
“We felt that a couple of years ago energy prices would go up rapidly and we wanted to ensure some stability there,” he told SeafoodSource.. “We were thinking for the future.”
Õun said the investment came at a critical time for the business, as it dealt with spiking energy prices due to fallout from the nearby war in Ukraine. The energy it’s getting from its solar panels won’t be enough to cover all of its needs, but it has lessened the sting of the bills for operating its canning and pickling business.
FreshRex sources its products from Scandinavia – wild-caught Baltic herring and farmed fish from Finland. It manufactures a range of branded and private-label ready-to-eat products in jars, including pickled herring fillets – known as rollmops in the company’s top market of Germany – and salmon roe. The company ships globally but recently formed a new brand, Koduranna, specifically for the domestic market in Estonia, which has grown quickly.
At the 2023 Seafood Expo Global, Õun said more inquiries than usual were geared ...
Photo by Cliff White/SeafoodSource
