Why prefer local seafood

Philippine seafood

With the Philippines’ 7,000+ islands, its surrounding seas are rich fishing grounds. While destructive forms of fishing and environmental pollution have adversely affected the seas’ productivity and future state, Philippine marine resources are still better off than other places in terms of diversity and availability of marine species. Local seafood are still abundantly available almost anywhere, almost anytime (depending on season and weather) – live, fresh, or processed.

The richness of the Philippine seas is internationally well-known and many countries import their seafood requirements from the Philippines like tuna, squid, octopus, cuttlefish, crabs, shellfish, seaweeds, and others.

Some foreign fishing vessels are even poaching in Philippine waters.

Sources

You can catch and gather seafood almost anywhere in the Philippines. Drop a line-hook-sinker, cast a net, set up a trap, or scour the shoreline – chances are you will catch a fish, squid, octopus, shrimps, lobsters, crabs, or gather some shellfish.

There are several well-known fishing grounds in North Luzon, Eastern and Western Luzon, Southern Luzon, Eastern and Central Visayas, Palawan, and around Mindanao down to Tawi-Tawi.

Methods of catching, handling, and transport

The most common methods of catching seafood are fishing line, nets, and traps.

These come in different sizes, numbers, and locations.

Those seafood intended to be sold as live are usually placed in tanks with aerated seawater to remain live until they reach the market. Seafood sold fresh are always put in ice or iced water to maintain their fresh state until sold or further processed.

Seafood caught are transported in fishing vessels of large commercial operators or motorized bancas or small boats of small operators. Those items destined for far places are transported by land vehicles then airplanes.

Buyer preferences

Most seafood consumers buy them fresh from the public markets or supermarkets. If you are an institutional or wholesale buyer/trader, you usually go to fish ports.

Some buyers prefer their seafood live – fish, crabs, shrimps, lobsters, and shellfish.

There are several vendors in Metro Manila equipped to handle live seafood.

Why local seafood is better

The reasons are obvious. Philippine seafood is better not only in terms of diversity and variety but also because of the choices that consumers have – live, fresh, processed seafood available almost all year-round from your nearby sources/vendors.

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Marketing Exclusive Brands

The rationale

Brand is the bridge of trust between a product supplier and its customers.

Through different touchpoints (like our products and marketing communications), we try to engage you – our customers. We try to reach out to you and build a relationship. Through this relationship, you would experience our brand and the various products it represents.

Out of this experience, you develop your own thoughts, beliefs, feelings, or attitudes toward our brand – your perception of our brand.

On the basis of this rationale, we at Ascona International, have decided to carry products with brands that are exclusive to us and that are worthy of your trust and continuous patronage.

The brands

Our house brand is “arlet”.

arlet brand symbolizes local excellence. It has evolved out of a passion to showcase and promote local products that have exceptional quality.

You will have a chance to personally experience the arlet brand of quality this January when we launch our initial seafood range which will include gourmet seafood mixes, squid fillet, octopus, scallops, abalone, nobashi, among other items.

These fresh-tasting seafood items can be prepared and served alone or as the main ingredients of your favorite seafood dishes. Watch out for these soon at your supermarket’s frozen food section.

Subsequently, more local products of excellent quality will be launched under the arlet label.

One internationally-known brand we decided to carry and promote in the Philippine market is “Kawan”.

Kawan product mix includes Asian flatbreads, puff pastries, specialty dough products, vegetarian products, samosa, spring rolls, oriental buns, mantou, glutinous rice balls, and halal food.

Surprise and delight yourself, your family and friends by serving these healthy and tasty food. You can find these in the frozen food section of your favorite supermarkets.

Why exclusive brands

We want you – our valued customers – to have a good perception of our brands.  

This is why we carefully select the brands we carry. We make sure we have the right brands and products for you.

With exclusive brands, we develop a focus on carrying only the best products for you.

We also cultivate long-term relationships with our production partners, in the same manner we nurture lasting relationships with our customers.

We want our customers to associate these brands only with the reputable image of our company.

 

We will really appreciate it if you stay in touch with us. We welcome your feedback, which you can send through Ascona International Corporation – Contact Us

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