By Chris Muise
翻译:杨沁
Jim Zhang came from China seven years ago to study economics at Saint Mary’s University. His family are in the food business back home, so he kept a keen eye on our ocean’s bounty for prospective new markets here.
“When I first came here, I was trying to look for the local seafood, maybe have an opportunity to bring some to China,” says Zhang.
Zhang would find a seafood product that could give him a foothold in the market, both in China and Canada, but it wasn’t with any of the seafood that we’re famous for. Instead of fresh Atlantic lobster, or haddock, or herring, Zhang is putting Nova Scotia on the map with our local…sea cucumber?
Yes, in case you didn’t know, Nova Scotia waters do play home to sea cucumber, the blobby little creatures known for weaponizing their intestines. Jules LeBlanc has been involved in the sea cucumber industry locally since 1999, but only met Zhang about four years ago. Zhang came to LeBlanc after discovering the product, with an idea for an untapped market to explore.
Sea cucumber is a popular dish in China and other Asian countries, and is consumed more like a medicine than food. It’s touted as a traditional medicine for everything from arthritis to impotency to even cancer – some call it ‘the ginseng of the sea’ – but the health benefits of the Chinese variety of sea cucumber are currently up in the air.
“They farm the sea cucumber in China – the food safety is a problem right now. People used medicine to farm the sea cucumber, then the sea cucumber have that special stuff inside, so it’s actually harmful,” says Zhang. “Once the Chinese sea cucumber safety problem happened, people are looking for healthy seafood from outside.”
Zhang, president of his own company Right Source Food International, saw the opportunity to promote Nova Scotia sea cucumber as a safe, healthy alternative to the farmed variety among the Chinese market, since ours is fished fresh and wild. Zhang and LeBlanc teamed up to create a new brand, Seacoo.
Seacoo is sold internationally in China, as well as Chinese markets here at home. On the plus side, word is spreading fast by operating out of Halifax – word travels fast in China when Chinese citizens here buy some to bring back home as gifts. But that isn’t to say it’s been an easy sell for all.
“The only problem was, for China, that most customers that buy sea cucumber are probably middle or old age, so they have known Chinese sea cucumber very well,” says Zhang, who says the Chinese sea cucumber species is visibly different from ours. “People [find it] hard to accept the Canadian sea cucumber the first time.”
But Zhang’s marketing sensibilities is slowly starting to whittle away at that reluctance. Free samples and cooking demos have helped warm long-time sea cucumber users up to Seacoo’s product, and Seacoo is rolling out a new version of the product – whole sea cucumbers instead of slices – to look more familiar to their more traditional clientele.
“Every year there’s little more expansion, in terms of the market and the demand,” says LeBlanc. “The brand’s picking up speed. ”
Once Zhang and LeBlanc conquer the Chinese market, they’re hoping they can take Seacoo even further around the world.
“We would like to bring the Canadian sea cucumber – the Seacoo brand – to Australia, and Europe, and the U.S., and China this year,” says Zhang.
As for branching out to local, non-Chinese customers, Zhang admits that it’ll be an acquired taste, but has hope that he can turn them around.
“A lot of people don’t have experience on this. It’s still really hard, actually, for local people [to cook],” says Zhang, who is looking into a ready-made variety of the product for the uninitiated. “Maybe someday, we can make something to let you guys have it.”
If you know how to cook it, or don’t but want to give it a try anyway, Seacoo sea cucumbers can be purchased locally at the Fisherman’s Market on the Bedford Highway. (End)
七年前,Jim Zhang离开中国，来到圣玛丽大学主修经济学。Jim的家人在中国经营海产生意,受家人的影响,他对新斯科舍省前景广阔、领域崭新的海产品市场充满了兴趣。
“最初，我将目标锁定于本土海鲜，觉得应该有机会把它们引进中国。”张先生说。
之后，Jim找到了他期待已久并充满商机的当地海产。这类海产并不是我们所熟知的大西洋龙虾、鳕鱼或者鲱鱼，而是新省的海参。也正是这类本土海参，让新省远负盛名。
大家都知道,海参是一种遇到危险时会吐出内脏吓阻敌人,以求自保的海生棘皮类动物。可大家不知道的是，新省海洋为这类动物提供了得天独厚的生长条件。 Jules LeBlanc先生自1999年开始从事海参生意,他与Jim在四年前相识。在一系列产品调研后，Jim向LeBlanc先生提出了开拓新市场的想法。
海参在中国和亚洲其他国家倍受欢迎。它不仅是珍稀的食品，也是名贵的药材。传统中医描述海参能治百病,从关节炎到阳痿甚至于癌症,因此也称之为“海中人参”。然而中国现有的各类海参产品是否具有这些保健功效，就不得而知了。
“在中国,海参多为养殖海参。在食品安全令人担忧的今天，有些养殖海参使用饲料喂养，甚至在其中添加了激素和抗生素，最终药物残留在海参体内，对人有害无益。” Jim介绍道:“自从中国的海参产品问题被曝光，消费者开始寻求海外的健康海产。”
Jim发现,相较于中国养殖海参，新省安全、健康的海参蕴藏无限商机，因为这里的野生海参原生态且无污染。于是,他与LeBlanc合作开创了全新品牌：海品源(Seacoo)。
海品源远销至中国，同时也走俏新省。海品源很快在当地打响了品牌知名度,新省居住和旅游的中国人都会找Jim买上一些大西洋海参,作为回国馈赠家人朋友的礼品。然而,产品的推广并没有这么简单。
“现在我们面临的主要问题是，对中国市场而言，大部分海参消费者为中年或老年人，而这个群体比较熟知中国海参。”Jim谈到，中国海参和大西洋海参品种不同。“很多消费者起初并不太接受大西洋海参。”
逐渐的，Jim通过努力,让消费者开始接受这个新产品。从免费样品派发到烹饪视频介绍，类似的推广活动让消费者有机会了解到海品源的大西洋海参。同时,海品源也相继推出了整只海参来取代切片海参。
“从市场分布到消费需求，我们每一年都在发展壮大。”LeBlanc先生表示：“这个品牌的发展速度相当迅猛。”
Jim和LeBlan先生希望除了为中国客户提供优质的大西洋海参之外，同时也将各类优质海洋食品销往世界各地。
“我们今年的目标是把海品源这个品牌推向澳洲、欧洲以及美国还有中国。”Jim告诉记者。
他坦言,对于中国地区以外的消费者而言，海参的口味比较陌生，但他希望能够带动起这类消费者。
“很多人从未尝试过海参,譬如加拿大本地人。对他们来说,怎样烹调海参是一大难事。”针对这些群体，Jim还提出了即食海参食品的一些想法。“也许有一天，我们可以本地客户准备出特别的产品。”
想尝尝鲜？海品源的海参产品现在位于Bedford Highway的海鲜市场Fisherman’s Market有售。(完)
