Our Commitment to Sustainability

It's not because the fish was frozen. It was because the fish was inferior when frozen.

Until approximately 40 years ago, most fish in South Africa were caught by large trawlers which would undertake three week voyages to fishing grounds. Coastal waters were fished by smaller vessels which were back in port within a few days. These always had the best fish, because the fresher the fish at the point of landing, the better the quality, but today the majority of this catch struggles to reach the average person in and around the city quickly.

When commercial freezing was introduced, it was applied to the cheaper fish from the longer voyages. Frozen soon began to mean inferior. This reputation was largely justified, and it stuck. But it was not because the fish was frozen. It was because it was inferior when frozen.

Today the technology has caught up. With modern flash-freezing and blast-freezing methods, fish can be frozen within hours of being caught -- often right on the vessel -- locking in freshness, texture, and nutrition at their peak. The result is a product that, when properly thawed, is virtually indistinguishable from fresh-off-the-boat fish, and in many cases superior to "fresh" fish that has spent days in transit.

This is also where freezing earns its place in the sustainability conversation. Because frozen fish has a longer shelf life, it dramatically reduces food waste -- one of the biggest environmental issues in the seafood industry. It also allows for more strategic, seasonal harvesting, reducing pressure to over-fish just to meet immediate demand. In short, freezing lets us take only what we need, when the ocean can afford to give it.

So the old reputation deserves to be retired. Frozen no longer means second-best. It means smarter sourcing, less waste, and fish that tastes the way it should -- because it was frozen at its best, not past its prime.