Vancouver-False Creek MLA Sam Sullivan joined Shaun and Sonia Strobel, co-founder's of Skipper Otto's Community Supported Fishery, dockside in Vancouver to announce the provincial government’s Buy Local Program is providing the company $20,000. These funds will be used to promote the quality of B.C. seafood throughout the province and encourage British Columbians to buy local.

The local company is connecting with consumers through social media channels and additional promotion on their website. The Buy Local funding will support their efforts to increase customer awareness in B.C. through advertising on vehicles and packaging on products. The new packaging will help differentiate Skipper’s products from out of province seafood brands.

Skipper Otto’s Community Supported Fishery creates a direct connection between fishermen and consumers. The primary fisherman, Otto Strobel, has been fishing on the coast of B.C. since the 1960s, and today he works alongside his son, Shaun, and daughter-in-law, Sonia.

The Community Supported Fishery (CSF) model is inspired by the very successful model of “Community Supported Agriculture” (CSA), which seeks to link consumers to family businesses that produce local, organic, sustainable, fairly-traded food. The company reports that consumers who become members of the CSF get access to a selection of top-quality seafood at reasonable prices with a guarantee that all seafood is caught and processed ethically in B.C. Skipper Otto’s CSF memberships for the 2016 summer season are only available through the end of May.

The Buy Local program has received $8 million in B.C. government funding since 2012 to increase sales of locally grown and processed agrifood and seafood products within the province.

The B.C. government’s Agrifood and Seafood Strategic Growth Plan supports the building of domestic markets and maintaining a secure food supply. The plan is a component of the BC Jobs Plan, and the roadmap to leading the agrifoods sector to becoming a $15-billion-a-year industry by 2020.

The provincial government’s Buy Local program is administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of British Columbia. Applications are available at: http://iafbc.ca/funding-opportunities/buy-local/

Quotes:

Sam Sullivan, Vancouver-False Creek MLA –

“Knowing where the food you eat comes from is what the Buy Local program is all about. Skipper Otto’s brings awareness to the community and offers British Columbians fresh local seafood, and in return keeps local hard earned dollars right here in B.C. The funding provides the opportunity to reach more consumers and share what B.C. has to offer.”

Sonia Strobel, managing director, Skipper Otto’s Community Supported Fishery –

“We have a very loyal membership but our real challenge is spreading the word beyond our existing customers. The Buy Local funding has helped us reach more British Columbians as we spread the importance of getting to know the people who catch your seafood. Learning about your fisherman and being able to see, right on the label, the face of who caught your specific fish is a powerful personal connection. We love being able to offer sustainable, wild, local seafood with a genuine story.”

Learn More:

For more information about Skipper Otto’s Community Supported Fishery and how to support the local fishermen in your community visit: www.skipperotto.com

B.C. Buy Local program: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriculture-seafood/programs/bc-buy-local-program