Vietnamese seafood import/export firm Seafood Connection, which was purchased in 2013 by Japanese seafood giant Maruha Nichiro, has hired Chau Minh Dat as its new commercial director.
Dat, the former vice general director of Hoang Long Seafood, will oversee quality control, product development, sourcing, audits, design logistics and travel for Seafood Connection.
Dat was hired in order to address business opportunities arising from an increase in trade activities in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries, in part due to a new free trade agreement with the European Union, according to a press release.
“We are aware of the huge demand for the European market, but with our offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Fort Lauderdale, U.S.A., we have the assets in place to serve the Asian and North [and] South America market[s] as well,” said Seafood Connection New Business Development Director Jiro Yokota. “And Maruha Nichiro is the biggest importer of shrimps from Vietnam. It means we have the network, the position, the people and the products to increase our business in Vietnam.”
Seafood Connection is one of the biggest exporters of frozen pangasius fillets from Vietnam to Europe, dealing approximately 60,000 metric tons annually. It also exports Vietnamese seafood products to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, Chile, Uruguay and the Middle East, and imports farmed salmon byproducts from Europe and wild caught fish from Japan, according to the release. It is seeking to move into the European market with shrimps, molluscs and sushi toppings.
Seacon Vietnam has nine employees in Vietnam, with five working out of its office, including Dat and office manager Le Thi Hung, and an additional four employees working in the field.
