As demand for P.E.I. shellfish grows, federal and provincial governments are contributing more than $1.6 million to install cold storage facilities at P.E.I. Mussel King Inc. to reduce damage caused during transportation and ensure efficient, uninterrupted supply of frozen shellfish products to clients.
This latest cold storage project meets a growing demand on P.E.I. to handle shellfish product otherwise shipped off-island for cold storage, thus reducing high energy costs associated with transportation. The improvements are geared to helping the company compete in the rapidly growing global market for convenient frozen shellfish products.
“The addition of our own cold storage facility is the next logical step in our overall growth strategy,” says company president Esther Dockendorff. “We now control our product from harvest to final transport. Vertical integration is evidence of our ongoing commitment to deliver top-quality products and services to the global market.”
A repayable contribution of $500,000 is being provided through ACOA’s Business Development Program, while the Province of P.E.I., through Finance P.E.I., is providing a $1,150,000 loan for the project.
Incorporated in 1994, P.E.I. Mussel King is a processor and distributor of fresh and frozen in-the-shell mussels. The company is part of a fully integrated operation that encompasses three mussel farms owned by the Dockendorff family. In 2016, P.E.I. Mussel King was awarded “Exporter of the Year” by Trade Team P.E.I.
