Escal is typically an Alsatian venture with a gastronomic ambition with seafood products entering the game more recently. ”The family-run SMB was founded in 1963 to commercialise gastronomic products - snails in particular - partly for the German market,” recalls Alexia Müller, the company’s marketing manager. ” The shrimp and seafood product business was added in the early 1980s to supplement seasonal sales.” Today, snails only account for 30% of the value of the brand’s frozen products. Shrimps (Ecuador, India, Vietnam...) make up 3,500 tons and various seafood products represent 1,500 tons out of a total of 7,000 tons, the rest being made up of fish such as sardine and trout, but also, more recently, salmon, tuna, haddock or saithe.... ”The aim is to widen the range and offer quality products: fish loins, frozen seafood, fresh vacuum-packed bags, no ice...”, explains Alexia Müller. ”This is of interest to the many supermarkets with no fish counter. The point is to be present all year round and not only at Christmas, with products intended for all occasions.” A total of 65% of sales are exported within Europe, mainly to supermarkets and hypermarkets. ”Nearly half of the sales are private labels, but our brand is gaining ground.” While seafood products are the core business, part of the company has been devoted to Alsatian specialities since the takeovers of Gourmet and Kauffer’s.
Located just outside Strasbourg from the beginning, Escal has been developing certifications for its seafood products (organic, MSC, ASC, etc.) with the aim of offering 100% certified products in the short term. ”Our new products ”frutti di mare durables” epitomize what we want to offer: a 100% sustainable product, with ASC and MSC certified shrimps and mussels, MSC squid since November 2019, without preservatives, classified A in Nutri-score and with an eco-designed, therefore reduced, packaging. This type of innovation will allow us to maintain our 14% market share in seafood cocktails.” Escal has a cooking site and another dedicated to packaging (weighing, cartoning, thermoforming, etc.), especially for seafood cocktails. The Strasbourg-based company intends to boost its growth around three themes: production in France, flavour and sustainable development. ”The idea is for products to be good and simple, concludes Alexia Müller. And our products should permit the preparation of a dish made with standard kitchen-cupboard ingredients as well as a meal for special occasions. To achieve this, we are also working on the information given to the consumer : QR codes, recipes...”
Dominique GUILLOT
To see more : Grand Est region : Seafood products out East
