BUTTERWORTH, July 10 ― Penang-based frozen seafood company, Golden Fresh Sdn Bhd, is exploring potential new markets, especially Eastern European countries, Turkey, Russia and Brazil.

Group chief operating officer Saw Lip Teik said the group is also in an expansion mode to meet demand from existing markets comprising about 26 countries that included Australia, Europe, the United States, Japan, China and some Middle East countries.

“Australia is still our main market, followed by the United Kingdom and Europe, Malaysia and Singapore,” he told Bernama during an interview here with his team that included group commercial director Rosy Ng and business development manager Tang Cho Sun.

Golden Fresh products are certified by various domestic and international agencies. The company has obtained the Malaysia Halal certification as well as certifications from the Aquaculture Stewardship Council and Marine Stewardship Council for all its products.

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Golden Fresh has over 300 products, including Crispy Battered Fish Fillets, Fish Sticks, Salt & Pepper Squid Chunks and Tempura Prawns. The group's clients include Swedish home furnishing store IKEA and supermarket chains Aldi and Carrefour.

“Our production capacity is about 14,000 metric tonnes annually and we are planning to increase it to about 17,000 metric tonnes to cater for growth over the next five years,” he said.

Due to a slowdown in the global economy, Saw said, the group is cautiously expanding in its existing markets by introducing a different line of products.

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Golden Fresh, which is behind the Pacific West and Subi brands, has bagged awards for the creativity of its products, including the Seafood Excellence Global Award for Innovation for its Kuro Prawns in 2017.

The company was also a winner at the 27th edition of Seafood Expo Global and the 21st edition of Seafood Processing Global in Brussels, Belgium, last May.

Golden Fresh, through its corporate chef Garry Edson, has produced a Prawn in Hor Mok Thai Coconut Sauce that outclassed 37 other finalists from 12 countries to land the group the Seafood Excellence Global Award for Convenience in 2019.

Saw said the product, which includes prawns and sauce packed in individual portion bags that can be quickly microwaved in four minutes, is very authentic and high in flavour.

He said the group has been producing value-added seafood products for many years.

“We hope that this award will spur the company forward to come out with more innovative and quality products that suit with the current market demand,” he said.

He explained that the award-winning products can be cooked in a jiffy ― just three to four minutes in a microwave oven ― and can go with spaghetti, white rice, or even noodles.

However, Saw said, the group has come a long way to become the success story that it is today, including being a supplier for big sporting events such as the Olympic Games, Wimbledon tennis tournament and Rugby World Cup. ― Bernama