E-factor's Great Big Small Business Festival week - Made Great in Grimsby showcase the seafood industry
October 09, 2023
To celebrate the E-Factor’s (Comprehensive Business Support in Grimsby | E-Factor Group Ltd) Great Big Small Business Festival week, Made Great in Grimsby held at Industry Insight morning for members of E-factor on the 3rd of October, accommodating 10 business leaders to showcase and introduce them to the Grimsby seafood cluster. The group toured three seafood businesses – Grimsby Fish Market, Pelagia, and traditional fish smoker, Alfred Enderby’s with Julie Waites. In addition, they heard from Simon Dwyer about the scale of the Grimsby Seafood Cluster and the outreach Made Great In Grimsby has in promoting the hundreds of fish and seafood products made in the town and ending up with consumers across the UK via major retailers and food service outlets.
The feedback included:
I’ll use ‘INSPIRATIONAL’ in capital letters to describe my morning yesterday as we often use such words too much, diluting their impact. I’ve never seen better examples of why our town is known as GREAT Grimsby; thanks to my tour with E-Factor & The Business Hive, GRIMSBY FISH MERCHANT'S ASSOCIATION LIMITED, and Made Great in Grimsby teams. There were so many fabulous business and life lessons illustrated during the tour of Grimsby’s Seafood Cluster. Overcoming severe challenges, adapting and changing in order to thrive, resourcefulness, passion, and enthusiasm winning out, to name but a few.
I’ve never been more proud of being a Grimbarian and breakfast has never tasted so sweet!
It was wonderful to see the thriving business of the GRIMSBY FISH MARKET LIMITED, the passion at ALFRED ENDERBY TRADITIONAL FISH SMOKERS LIMITED, and the resourcefulness at Pelagia.
This was just one fantastic event organised by E-Factor as part of the GBSB Festival Week.
Special thanks to Simon, Julie, Martyn, Mike , Rachel, Paul, Vicky, and the other E-Factor team members, Toni and Cafe Buzz. – Gary Davis, Gary Davis Photography
Thanks to Rachel Appleton Julie Waites Simon Dwyer Martyn Boyers GRIMSBY FISH MARKET LIMITED Toni Salmon ALFRED ENDERBY TRADITIONAL FISH SMOKERS LIMITED, PREMIER SEAFOODS LIMITED and Mike at Pelagia for a fascinating tour around Grimsby fish businesses from auction to smokehouse, shop and fishmeal plant. The tour gave a real insight into the #MadeGreatInGrimsby brand. Another great event from E-Factor & The Business Hive #GBSBF2023 – Vicky Dunn, Managing Director at Grimsby Community Energy
I smell a bit fishy today, so don't get too close! It was well worth it, though, to see what's going on in the Seafood Cluster in Grimsby and the area. The place is changing, and it's great to see how Grimsby is adapting to the demands of the fishing industry. When I was a kid, all of my family had worked in the fishing industry, my Grandad on my mum's side was a filleter (for the queen, they reckon) and my Grandad on my Dad's side was lost at sea off a trawler. aged 37 (you get than I am now!)... so it's in the blood. In those days, the docks were crammed with trawlers, and Grimsby was the biggest fishing port. Now, most of the fish is imported, but the skills around the fishing industry haven't died. Fish processing, filleters, and knowledge mean Grimsby has taken a different direction and is still at the heart of the industry.
This is why when Simon Dwyer spoke to us about creating the Made Great in Grimsby website a few years ago, I jumped at the chance. I know how important fishing is to the area, and I wanted to help it thrive. Today, I got the chance to go around Grimsby Docks and see it firsthand. It's a lot quieter, and I could only have imagined the hustle and bustle from years gone by. However, I still got to see the fish auction in action at Grimsby Fish Market. That is something else! And, what was really interesting was that the auctioneer used the same black book as they did in the 60s! We then had an amazing breakfast, organised by E-Factor & The Business Hive, and a presentation from Simon. Then a real highlight was visiting ALFRED ENDERBY TRADITIONAL FISH SMOKERS LIMITED to see the 100-year-old smokehouses and taste their fish
Finally, we visited Premier Seafoods, where I bumped into a guy from Dubai, who now lives in Sheffield and had travelled to Grimsby to get his fish 🐟. It just shows what w ehave here.
I always think it's important to see the industries our clients work in, and this one was especially close to home! – Shane Traill, Director, First Media.
Made Great In Grimsby team thanked E- Factor’s Rachel Appleton for the opportunity to showcase the cluster and its great story of fish and seafood.