Sarah the fisherwoman and businesswoman's story
Sarah is a woman with a passion for the fishing industry and an entrepreneurial spirit. She owns the MFV Two Brothers, an inshore vessel fishing out of Brixham in Devon, with her husband Darren. Sarah is now one of the few women working on commercial fishing vessels in the UK and has become an ambassador for her local community and the wider industry.
When the Covid-19 crisis hit the fishing industry last year, Sarah and Darren moved quickly to find a new market for their fish. Ready Fish Boxes was born to make their fresh and sustainable catch available directly to local customers.
With all the leg work involved to get a new business up and running, Sarah got in touch with us looking for some advice on how to make it work. We helped her with the necessities of running a food business including:
- Advising on the food hygiene training requirements. Training we were also able to fund for her.
- Directing her to the legal information on selling fish directly to consumers.
- Signposting her to grants and funds. We guided her with one application which helped her build a new website.
- Sharing our insight on marketing including selling through social media which boosted their direct sales instantly.
The positive calls I have had with Seafish, who have answered their phone and emailed me straight back, despite the lockdown restrictions, have kept me going during the bleak times.
The ability to tap into positivity from Seafish to keep going and to offer solutions to the problems faced has been priceless.
Our work helping the industry through change
We turned our full attention to supporting the industry through the Covid 19 crisis in the best way we could.
As export and hospitality markets closed, selling direct to consumers became a lifeline for many fishing vessel owners. Our direct selling guidance to help people get started was accessed over 2,000 times.
We've also been providing the industry with guidance to work safely and where to access funding support. Our fishing fleet and processing sector data was also used to inform Government support packages to help the money go where it was needed most.
How can we help you?
If you’re business is facing a challenge or you simply want some advice or information on Covid-19 or Brexit, get in touch with us Seafish@seafish.co.uk.