The Food and Wellness Group has been tapped by the Maine Lobster Advisory Council (LAC) to provide analysis and insights to the industry as it grapples with future funding and marketing decisions. John Sauvé, president of the Food and Wellness Group, has been consulting with an LAC subcommittee, including harvesters, processors and dealers, and has presented initial findings and recommendations in a series of regional public meetings.
Much discussion has focused on key issues such as funding mechanisms for marketing and promotion, pricing history and seasonal price fluctuation, competition, marketing challenges and opportunities for increasing demand.
Sauvé, who has been instrumental in building global demand for the Wild Blueberry industry, said: “Think about it not as an issue of over-supply but rather as an issue of under-demand. There is not nearly enough happening to boost global demand for Maine Lobster and truly help the lobstermen and everyone else in the industry.”
Are Soft-Shells a Harder Sell?
A topic of particular interest––one that must be an important focus of any marketing strategy for Maine Lobster––has been the percentage of Maine’s total Lobster harvest that is soft shell versus hard shell, and the associated marketing and pricing challenges involved.
For more on the coverage of these industry discussions, please see below:
Portland Press Herald, 6/19/12: A harder sell for soft-shells.
Bangor Daily News, 6/14/12: Maine lobster industry told to brand its product to increase prices.
Portland Press Herald, 6/12/12: Marketing plan aims to heat up lobster demand.
Department of Marine Resources, 6/1/12: Will more investment in marketing help bring a better boar price? Lobster industry input needed.
