Direct-to-consumer fishing subscription

We are hijacking the food chain and offering the consumer what they want at a better price.

Subscriptions are something we are quite used to when it comes to consumables, phones, newspapers and digital services. Through this project, Gårdsfisk wanted to test offering subscriptions of fresh, locally produced fish.

Such a subscription has many advantages. It reduces food waste and increases contact between producer and consumer. It creates security for the producer with recurring sales. It enables smaller producers to reach out and increases the value of the products. The fish is also produced in a fish farming system without emissions and negative environmental impact.

Gårdsfisk developed a method for selling fresh fish directly to consumers. Around twenty families and individuals in eastern Skåne were allowed to test the subscription. Five kilos of fish fillets were delivered in cooler bags together with a brochure with information and recipes. In return, the test subjects were allowed to carry out evaluations for improvements to the service. A website was built to be able to receive orders and payments for deliveries.

The project was anchored via social media. Gårdsfisk also sold fish and marketed the upcoming service through local direct sales on so-called REKO rings.

The project confirmed the interest of consumers. They want to be able to buy their fish in other ways than in the grocery store. Associations also showed interest in selling fish to generate extra money for their operations. The project thus created the expected results. Consumers will in future be able to order fish via the website and have it delivered to their home or to a delivery point.

The project created a service that is commercially viable and that other producers will hopefully copy. The new subscription service also created two additional full-time jobs at Gårdsfisk.

This is an interesting project that is right on time. By testing new ways of producing and distributing locally farmed fish, both the environment, producers and consumers can benefit. It creates the conditions for fresh fish to the consumer in a shorter food chain. The project can also inspire local actors, contribute to local development and generate more jobs in the future.