A novel sustainable canned seafood line that includes lesser-known, local species is debuting at select Whole Foods Market stores and other online and physical retailers in the United States and Canada.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada-based Scout said it is carrying the first craft canned seafood line sourcing 100 percent of its species off the shores of Canada and the U.S.
“We are focused on biodiversity with our products, bringing underloved species to consumers and breaking away from only offering the standard tuna and salmon in a can,” Scout CEO and Co-Founder Adam Bent told SeafoodSource. “Most products you find in store today are imported from overseas. We source directly from the fishery, and our products are hand-cut and hand-packed in Canada.”
The line includes Atlantic Canadian Lobster, made with Marine Stewardship Council-certified lobster; Prince Edwards Island Mussels in a Smoked Paprika and Fennel Tomato Sauce, featuring rope-grown mussels; Ontario Trout with Dill; Albacore Tuna with Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, which contains MSC-certified albacore tuna; and Albacore Tuna with Garden Pesto, which also includes MSC-certified albacore tuna.
Scout is sold at Whole Foods Market in the U.S. Northeast region, at Farmboy in Ontario, and online at Food52 and enjoyscout.com. It will soon expand to Thrive Market and Erewhon, Bent said.
The brand is supported investors including Alamanac Insights, Navitas Organics Co-Founder Wes Crain, REBBL Co-Founders David Batstone and Mark Wexler, and Fairway Grocery's Dan Glickberg.
"Consumers' palettes are changing, which presents an opening in the market for healthier options. With incredible products and a transparent business model, Scout is well-positioned for success and deciding to invest wasn't a difficult one," David Barber, co-founder of Almanac Investments, a fund that invests in responsible consumer pacakaged goods companies, said in a press release.
The time is right for a local, sustainable canned seafood brand such as Scout, Bent said.
“As COVID hit, it encouraged Canadians and Americans to take a closer look at our local food supply and introduce regionally-sourced products such as locally-sourced conservas as the Spanish and Portuguese have done for centuries,” Bent said.
Scout Co-Founder and MSC Ambassador Chef Charlotte Langley said the rising popularity of conservas, or high-quality tinned seafood, in North America, is a trend that mirrors the company's expectations for its new brand.
“Once tapas and wine bars started introducing tinned seafood, there seemed to be a groundswell of people integrating canned seafood into meals at home," she said.
Photo courtesy of Scout
