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After acquiring its own processing plant, the Western Seaproducts plant from Masoval Group
Aquaculture Magazine reports:
The Norway’s leading cod farmer, Ode, recently announced they acquired the Western Seaproducts plant from Masoval Group, and now it can harvest and process its own cod. The plant is situated in Vartdal, just a short distance from Ålesund, where Ode has its headquarters. The plan is to develop it into a larger, specialized and modern facility during the course of the year.
The acquisition will allow Ode to complete a fully integrated value chain for cod farming: including hatchery, juvenile grow-out, farming, slaughtering, processing, sales and marketing. For them, the cod is worshiped and trusted in all corners of the world. A healthy globetrotter that has fed many mouths and shaped many food cultures.
“At Ode, we have a clear strategy of being fully integrated to control quality, traceability and efficiency across the entire value chain. By acquiring the processing plant in Vartdal, we are now involved all the way from the egg to the customer, a process that takes three years, caring for our fish to end up with the best products for our consumers,” said CEO and founder Ola Kvalheim, in a statement.
Triple production
The members of Ode say that it has made significant investments in production capacity and is developing an organization that currently employs almost 150 people.
“Today marks an important milestone and step for our company with our internal harvesting and processing. In addition, we are proud to add more activity and employment in Vartdal and local communities nearby. Most of the workforce comes from the local area, which highlights its local importance,” said Kvalheim.
Ode delivered just under 4,000 tons of fresh cod in 2023 and plans to triple the volumes to 12,000 tons this year, as the market is fully absorbing the growth both in Europe and around the world.
“Leading restaurants and retail chains believe in the farmed cod because consumers love the products, and the growing focus on healthy proteins produced with a low footprint. Aquaculture is becoming increasingly important, and our customers want their fair share of this megatrend. The increase in farmed cod is also crucial both for Norway’s seafood activity and for customers, given the collapse in the population of wild cod in Norway and Russia,” said Kvalheim.
Looking forward, Ode is ready for further growth and more investments, including expansions and upgrades to enhance its processing capabilities and offer more unique cod products.
“Ode already has everyday supply with a mix of certified whole cod and value-added cod products to a range of customers, both in retail and Horeca mainly across the European market. Our focus going forward will be to develop markets and both packed consumer products and for the store counter and Horeca together with our existing and new customers. With more processing locally and pre-rigor quality we can offer high quality products that are unique and can open new channels and opportunities,” said Kvalheim.
Facilities
The first sea farm of Ode is located in the pristine Nordfjord, close to the small village of Davik. Their head office is in Ålesund at the heart of Norway’s aquaculture industry. Their new modern sea locations at Alida in Volda, Vorpeneset in Vestnes, and Aukan in Aure is all served by Lumarine’s rearing facility at Tjeldbergodden.
Finally, at Stadsbygd in Indre-Fosen municipality, they have built up one of the world’s leading environments in marine fry production. This gives them a steady supply of fish, all year round.
For the people of Ode, through the application of advanced technology and new knowledge, “an exciting new chapter in Norwegian aquaculture history is opening. With our all-Norwegian value chain, Ode is setting the standard as a producer of premium farmed cod,” they say.
