Casting a net
Introducing wild Argentine shrimp
For more than 20 years, the Costco shrimp buying team has strived to understand the entire supply chain, with the goal of consistently providing Costco members with the highest-quality shrimp at the best possible value.
“Our members have been asking for more wild shrimp offerings,” says Rosanna Dominelli, Costco frozen foods buyer. “When the buying team shared their specifications for wild shrimp, some suppliers said it couldn’t be done.”
Despite the challenges, this year Costco introduced frozen raw Kirkland Signature™ Wild Argentine Shrimp. “With seafood, freshness has a direct relationship with time and temperature. What sets us apart for this type of item is our supplier’s ability to maintain proper temperature from catch to final freeze and the fact that there are no sulphites or phosphates added,” Dominelli says.
One of the challenges of harvesting wild shrimp without adding chemicals and preservatives—a rarity in the industry—is maintaining the temperature of the shrimp during transfer to the packaging plant, where they are peeled, deveined and frozen. The key is to avoid cross-contamination with sulphite, which is commonly used on boats and in plants to preserve shrimp. Several steps help achieve this, including using Costco-dedicated fishing vessels, priority unloading at the docks and dedicated equipment at the packaging plant.
“Our members have been asking for more wild shrimp offerings,” says Rosanna Dominelli, Costco frozen foods buyer. “When the buying team shared their specifications for wild shrimp, some suppliers said it couldn’t be done.”
“Our members have been asking for more wild shrimp offerings,” says Rosanna Dominelli, Costco frozen foods buyer. “When the buying team shared their specifications for wild shrimp, some suppliers said it couldn’t be done.”
