Fish Box: Nothing fishy about the surge in demand

Established in 2004, Wet Fish Trading is a family-owned and -run business based in Dubai.It boasts a fully equipped processing factory where the staff hand-cut top quality fish sourced from across the world in temperature-controlled conditions while deliveries arrive in chilled vans, all Municipality-approved and HACCP certified.

GN Focus finds out how Fish Box is catering to the increase in demand for prime seafood during Covid-19.

When was Fish Box established and what was the ethos behind its founding?

Fish Box was started in 2016 as the home delivery arm of Wet Fish Trading. The idea was to promote a higher standard of product to the end consumer. We saw retail standards diminishing in quality and variety whilst increasing in price. We felt strongly that we could offer a very exciting solution.

we had a proven delivery infrastructure that could be adapted efficiently to door-to-door deliveries with fully trained drivers and hygienic processes. Once we had done our social media drive, orders went from 170 in March to 1,500 in April and May. We moved quickly to improve and diversify the site at every opportunity with frozen lines and even some vegetarian options.

- Mark Allan, Owner, Fish Box

Why do you think demand for your produce rose exponentially during the Covid phase?

Firstly, product. We have always had an incredibly efficient supply chain and wonderful suppliers the world over. Initially nothing really changed except logistics, of course which was challenging at first but eventually became more regular. Secondly, we had a proven delivery infrastructure that could be adapted efficiently to door-to-door deliveries with fully trained drivers and hygienic processes. Once we had done our social media drive, orders went from 170 in March to 1,500 in April and May. We moved quickly to improve and diversify the site at every opportunity with frozen lines and even some vegetarian options.

There was a distinct paucity of fresh seafood in markets across the UAE during these last few months, how did Fish Box sustain its fresh inventory during these times?

That’s certainly true but as I said, we had access to all of our usual markets and in truth, most of our suppliers stayed operational. We were able to fly in fish on cargo freighters which gave us continuity, replenished stock and maintained quality.

How do you think the market for home delivery of fresh seafood is going to evolve in a post-Covid world?

We intend to maintain Fish Box and develop it to new levels. The whole B2C operation has proved it has an important role to play in maintaining customer choice and quality. We intend to be at the forefront!

For more information on the UAE brand visit www.fishbox.ae