Ready Seafood, one of the largest lobster wholesalers in the U.S., is debuting the first of several value-added lobster products.
Saco, Maine-based Ready is rolling out frozen Ready Brothers Mini Lobster Grilled Cheese Sandwich appetizers. Made with fresh claw and knuckle lobster meat, the new product will first launch in Giant Eagle grocery stores in November.
Ready Seafood Director of Business Development Jack Lombard told SeafoodSource his company is in talks with several other retailers to carry the product, and will also approach the foodservice market to gauge its interest.
“Our product-development team has been working on multiple value-added concepts for a little over a year now,” he said. “We saw an immediate opportunity in the marketplace for a convenient and reasonably-priced frozen appetizer.”
The Mini Lobster Grilled Cheese apps will be the first of many value-added products Ready plans to bring to market over the next several years, according to Lombard.
"We wanted to create a ‘lobster-focused’ product that truly stood out from all the others out there, and we feel like we accomplished that,” he said.
Despite the high prices and lack of availability of lobster this year, Ready executives chose not to delay the new product launch.
“It’s certainly been a challenging year for the lobster industry, but Ready Seafood is confident in our ability to procure raw material both in the short-term, and in the years to come,” Lombard said.
The packages of six Mini Grilled Cheese sandwiches will retail for a suggested USD 9.99 (EUR 8.56) to USD 11.99 (EUR 10.27) each.
Photo courtesy of Ready Seafood
