Establishing a Brand Identity for Local Seafood

1. Establishing a Brand Identity for Local Seafood Carteret Catch A Rural Community College Initiative Project

2. Background • The Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI) is supported by the Ford Foundation, a non-profit funding agency. • RCCI funding is administered by the Southern Rural Development Center at Mississippi State University (srdc.msstate.edu/rcci). • RCCI’s mission, in part, is to support economic development initiatives that improve the livelihood of rural county residents.

3. Carteret County RCCI • Carteret Community College (CCC) was awarded an RCCI grant in January 2003. • CCC formed a partnership with NC A&T University to evaluate a number of projects that would benefit Carteret County. • A branding program to promote local seafood had the most support.

4. Consumer Research • Market Research indicates that consumers are eating more seafood. • Consumers are inclined to pay a premium to purchase local or regional seafood commodities and cuisine. • The county’s fishing communities were searching for strategies to sell their seafood. • RCCI volunteers observed that the county restaurants selling local seafood were not receiving a market incentive to do so.

5. Branding’s Objectives • Commercial: - Create a stronger awareness of and a demand for local seafood - Improve revenues for fishermen, dealers and restaurants • Educational: - Promote the seasonality of local commodities - Promote the sustainability regulations that protect marine resources - Promote the heritage of the Carteret County fishing communities

6. RCCI Partners The RCCI Seafood Branding Team is comprised of community volunteers representing commercial fishermen, seafood dealers, restaurant owners, educators, fisheries researchers and county residents: • American Culinary Federation – Carteret County Chapter • Carteret Community College • Carteret County Chamber of Commerce • Carteret County Economic Development Council • Carteret County Fishermen’s Association • NC Division of Marine Fisheries • NOAA Fisheries • NC Cooperative Extension Service • NC Sea Grant • NC State University Seafood Laboratory

7. Fall 2004 • RCCI volunteers met with county restaurant owners to better understand the quality standards they have for local seafood. • RCCI volunteers presented the quality standards of restaurants to county fishermen and seafood dealers.

8. March 2005 A field trip was organized for local fishermen and restaurant owners to observe how local seafood is marketed in select Northeastern USA markets: • Washington, D.C. waterfront • Stonington and Mystic, CT • Pigeon Cove Seafood, Gloucester, MA • Fulton Fish Market, New York, NY • Crisfield and Salisbury, MD • Chincoteague, VA

9. Washington DC Fish Market

10. Stonington CT • Office of The Southern New England Fishermen and Lobstermen’s Association • Art Medeiros

11. PigeonCoveSeafood

12. Meeting with Steve Parks, Manager of Pigeon Cove Seafood

13. Safety& Quality

14. Product Development

15. Fulton Fish Market

16. Fulton Street - NY

17. Ward Museum- Salisbury, MDPresentation on marketing by Tom Rippen of Maryland Sea Grant

18. Chincoteague, VA Fulton Street - NY

19. Chincoteague, VA

20. June – July 2005 • With assistance from a business consultant and a graphic designer, RCCI volunteers developed a brand name, tag line and logo to create a market identity for local marine products. • From among 14 brand name and tag line options, the RCCI team chose CarteretCatch as a brand name and Select North Carolina Seafood from the Fishermen of Carteret County as the tag line.

21. Creating the Brand Identity • The word Catch is supposed to project an image of seafood to consumers. • Select is meant to convey only the best, highquality or special. • The phrase from the Fishermen of Carteret County tells the consumer that their seafood has been harvested by a Carteret County fisherman. • The logo features the silhouette of an actual fishing vessel belonging to one of the commercial fishermen on the RCCI team.

23. October 2005 • The brand was unveiled at the NC Seafood Festival. • The Carteret Catch booth featured demonstrations by county fishermen and local chefs to show visitors how to clean fish and prepare local seafood cuisine. • Visitors were asked to complete a survey that profiled their seafood preferences.

24. Survey Results • Total number of survey respondents: 175. • Eighty-four percent expected seafood purchased at the coast to be locally caught. • Ninety percent expected seafood in local restaurants to be locally harvested. • Ninety-two percent said they were inclined to purchase local seafood if given a choice. • Favorite commodities include shrimp, flounder, scallops, oysters and blue crabs.

25. 2005 NC Seafood Festival

26. 2005 NC Seafood Festival

27. 2005 NC Seafood Festival

28. 2005 Waterfowl Festival

29. January 2006 • RCCI volunteers recruited a small number of local fishermen, seafood dealers and restaurant owners as “charter” members of the Carteret Catch pilot program. • Carteret Catch charter members met with a representative from the Carteret Community College Small Business Development Program to discuss the creation of a business plan. • Carteret Catch was presented to the North Carolina Legislative Commission on Seafood & Aquaculture, receiving positive reviews.

30. February – March 2006 • An update of Carteret Catch was presented to the North Carolina Seafood Festival board of directors. • Drafts of the business plan, by-laws and application forms were developed and are being reviewed. • Carteret Catch logo / marketing products have been determined; price quotes have been received. (e.g. stamps, flags, decals, etc.)

31. March 2006 • RCCI volunteers have received a grant to partner with a UNC-G academic to conduct detailed consumer research on the seafood consumption habits of Carteret County residents and visitors. • This research will help the Carteret Catch program to adopt better direct-marketing strategies that will enhance the connection between the fishing industry and their customer base.

32. Future Goals • To expand the Carteret Catch footprint beyond Carteret County • To create “infrastructure” to better process and distribute local seafood to consumers, i.e. Stonington, CT, working waterfront and Pigeon Cove Seafood.

33. Carteret Catch Planning Committee • Ms. Libby Eaton, Owner-Operator of the Bistro-by-The-Sea Restaurant • Ms. Beverly S. Gaskill, Owner andOperations Manager, Quality Seafood • Mr. Mitch Magnum, Americas Business Operations Manager, IBM • Dr. Gretchen Bath Martin, Research Fishery Biologist, NOAA Fisheries Service • Mr. Richard Meissner, Volunteer Coordinator, Cape Lookout National Seashore • Ms. Pam Morris, Education Coordinator, Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center • Mr. Barry Nash, Seafood Technology & Marketing Specialist, NC Sea Grant • Ms. Jennifer Ulz, Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Carteret Community College