The Conch Podcast features interviews
with the most inspiring people in the world of seafood.
Join Julie Kuchepatov,
founder of Seafood and Gender Equality (SAGE),
as she interviews people striving
to succeed in the sector, as well as those already making an impact,
and the challenges they face -
all while working to improve
the environmental and social responsibility
of the planet’s most incredible food source - seafood!
More than 85 percent of the top U.S., Canadian, and European retailers have commitments to sustainable seafood. Sourcing seafood for a retail grocer is especially difficult in terms of balancing the myriad of considerations about a seafood product, but it’s also an extremely rewarding career if you have a thirst for knowledge.
In this episode of The Conch podcast, we chat with Daisy Berg, the Program & Category Manager for Seafood at New Seasons Market. Daisy gives us the full scoop on what it’s like to be a seafood buyer for a market, why opting for local seafood is a fantastic choice, and how important it is to try lesser-known species of fish.
Episode Guide
:00 Intro
01:23 Daisy’s father started the family seafood business to support his cousin who recently returned from the war in Vietnam.
7:00 Sourcing seafood: A day in the life of a seafood retailer.
17:07 How a farmed salmon made Daisy “eat her words.”
22:24 Why “trash fish,” aka underappreciated species, deserve our attention.
25:36 How seafood sustainability nonprofit advisors work with retailers.
29:38 Because “seafood doesn’t sell itself,” the best thing to do is educate your staff to guide them on a customer’s seafood journey.
32:47 The uphill road of a woman in the seafood industry, but change is on the horizon.
38:30 Women are paid less than men in our industry. We need transparency in salaries.
40:54 Do you have an unending thirst for knowledge? The seafood industry might be right for you!
41:59 Daisy uplifts colleague Sarah Baker!
43:34 Putting the “new” in New Seasons—two of the hottest seafood items are hitting the shelves AND the produce section???
Resources:
Learn more about New Seasons Market’s journey to become the sustainability leader in one of the most climate-friendly communities in the U.S.
Recommend this episode to one person who is curious about how retailers are driving responsible seafood through their commitments to sustainability.
The Conch podcast is a program of Seafood and Gender Equality (SAGE).
Audio production, engineering, editing, mixing, and sound design by Crystal Sanders-Alvarado for Seaworthy.
Theme music: “Dilation” by Satan's Pilgrims
Funding generously provided by
