From the lakes of Ontario, Saskatchewan, NWT, and Manitoba, Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation (FFMC) has been marketing wild-caught freshwater fish for over five decades. Since its establishment in 1969, FFMC has specialized in procuring and distributing these fish products, striving to cater to the growing demands of both local and North American consumers.
In its early days, extending beyond local markets presented significant challenges for FFMC. Roughly 15 years into its journey, FFMC’s leadership recognized that the key to broadening its market base lay in a sophisticated distribution system. This system needed to ensure the integrity and freshness of its product over vast geographies, targeting untapped markets in Central US, regions around the Great Lakes, and metropolitan hubs such as Toronto, Montreal, and New York.
Such an ambition brought forth two pivotal challenges:
Quality Assurance: With the need to transport fish over expansive distances, maintaining the product’s freshness became vital. This demanded consistent and precise cold chain processes to be maintained, with expedited transit times.
Intricate Distribution: FFMC’s plan encompassed consolidated Less Than Truckload (LTL) drop-offs across a variety of locations on designated routes across North America. This logistics detail was consistently deemed too complex for many carriers.
To navigate these challenges, about 35 years ago, FFMC forged a strategic alliance with Trappers Transport. More than just a business collaboration, this partnership focused on refining, testing, and optimizing the distribution process to align with FFMC’s distinct needs.
The result of this partnership is clear. FFMC not only gained a consistent presence in their core customer markets around the Great Lakes but also expanded into numerous previously untapped markets. This alliance ensures that Freshwater Fish Corporation’s products are always delivered to market expedited, and in optimal condition, reinforcing FFMC’s commitment to quality and reliability with their clients.