Celebrating British fish
Sea Sisters’ colourful packaging is designed to appeal to younger consumers and encourage the next generation of fishermen
Sea Sisters is on a mission to make canned British seafood a staple in UK homes once more. Alex Rivers speaks to the company’s co-founder, Charlotte Dawe
All images in this article courtesy of Sea Sisters
Based in Bridport, West Dorset, Sea Sisters was born out of a desire to reawaken consumer appreciation for British fish and seafood, after husband-and-wife founders, Angus and Charlotte Dawe, quit their jobs as chefs in London’s hospitality sector. The two went travelling around Europe and were struck by the European love for quality canned food, in particular fish.
Charlotte Dawe told CanTech International that it was in the global pandemic of 2020 that she and her husband began their canned food journey. “From our initial research, we found out that the canned fish industry in the UK had died with the war, with the last British fish being canned in Cornwall,” she said. This sparked the inspiration to become the first British fish canners since the 1940s.
Today, most British seafood is exported to Europe and Asia, with 90 per cent of the fish for sale in the country imported. Scotland produces supermarket- own branded sardines and mackerel for the international market, and there is one UK cannery exporting canned bivalve molluscs, but none of these products are widely available in the UK.
Because of this, “British consumers are out of touch with the processes behind how our food is made and how it comes to the table,” said Dawe. “They don’t know the story of their food or appreciate where it comes from.
“What we’re doing at Sea Sisters is celebrating the British fishing industry, to raise awareness of British species that are overlooked and underutilised by the British public.
“By getting more people in the UK eating British- landed fish (by it being sold domestically), we’re educating people about the delicious array of seafood our shores have to offer,” she said.
Speaking at the Future of Fish: Insights & Innovation Day conference in London earlier this year, Dawe used Australia as an example of a country which has “incredible respect and pride for its fish and seafood.” This, in turn, “brings more young people into the industry,” which is something that is desperately needed in the UK, said Dawe.
She noted that the “skippers and fishers of the southwest are an age of 55 plus,” which is not a disadvantage now, but could mean the profession dies out in future if young people do not see fishing as a lucrative career – “we need to encourage it,” emphasised Dawe.
Circular vision
“As a small business, we really want to do the right thing. We’ve made decisions to try and create a circular economy within everything we possibly can,” Dawe told CanTech.
“Obviously cans have a fantastic lifespan, with a never-ending loop,” she said, but also added that Sea Sisters is working with the farm the cannery is situated on, to promote soil biodiversity. “The fourth- generation farmer is building a lab to take our fish skin, break it down and study how it can be used to enhance soil health. She is really passionate about regenerative farming and we’re proud to be able to help advance this,” said Dawe.
Sea Sisters also works with Norfolk-based artist, Blott Kerr-Wilson, who uses the company’s shells for her various studio and location commissions.
Dawe stated that Bridport is an area close to her husband’s heart because he and his family used to holiday in the area. The decision for Charlotte and Angus Dawe’s family to move from London was partially sentimental – as is the company’s name, which is a nod to their two daughters – but mainly to “shorten the supply chain,” as Sea Sisters works with fishers on the southwest coast, as well as elsewhere in the UK, including Kent and Norfolk.
Learning craft canning
Dawe told CanTech that she and her husband were “very naive” when they started Sea Sisters – “We were very creative people with an exciting idea, but we had nobody to lean on because we would be the first in the UK to undertake this venture.”
There was a significant amount of training involved in the initial stages, and Dawe explained they learned the dangers of home canning very quickly. “We don’t believe that anyone should be doing that here in the UK, although we’re aware there is a strong home canning industry in in Eastern Europe and in parts of the US,” she said.
“We started off experimenting with recipe development at home. Our ‘science experiments’ – as we liked to call them – studying thermal processing, heat and temperature distribution, all happened within a pressure cooker at first. Then we moved into labs with food scientists to gain proper training,” said Dawe, adding that they worked alongside industry experts such as Campden BRI during this time.
The founders also learned the micro measurements involved in can seaming, and they now house an on-site can seamer and retort for their operations.
“It’s not just about Angus being the chef with fantastic recipe development and innovative ideas. We’ve both thrown ourselves into the fire and gone to a place of learning that we never thought we were capable of. It’s been a long process, but where we’re at now with the cannery means that we can be adventurous and creative with all the new lines of fish we want to bring out,” said Dawe.
Flavours for the future
Mussels with Chilli & Garlic was one of the first flavours launched by the company
Sea Sisters launched its cans with two lines of mussels – “the world’s most sustainable protein” – and is constantly in the process of developing new flavours, available to purchase from the company’s website.
Flavour-wise, Dawe told CanTech that Sea Sisters’ approach to product development is “about adding value to the fish to excite the British public. It’s also about seasonal produce and pairing fish with delicious flavours.”
Sea Sisters has seen flavour combinations such as Cornish hake with rosemary, capers and garlic, preserved in extra virgin olive oil. Another stand-out product, said Dawe, is the company’s International Women’s Day inspired can, which features whelks paired with kimchi. Dawe commented that “people usually don’t touch whelks,” but by pairing them with the “in vogue” flavour of kimchi, the product saw great success.
Dawe said that 95 per cent of local whelks are exported to countries like Korea, so it was important for the company to shift that focus. The Norfolk Whelks in Kimchi Sauce can was made exclusively by women, from ‘The Female Fisherman,’ Ashley Mallinger, to the processors, kimchi producer, and the artist who designed the packaging.
“Our products have brightly coloured packaging, so even though the metal packaging itself is traditional, it also feels fresh, new and young,” said Dawe.
Sea Sisters collaborates with other food producers and restaurants, and sells to a handful of shops and delis, with a partnership beginning with upscale London department store, Selfridges, later this year.
Dawe emphasised the crucial considerations involved in keeping Sea Sisters thriving as a sustainable, forward-thinking business.
“When we think about British species of fish to use, we consider what we believe is being underutilised. For example, we are only fishing about 1.5 per cent of our sardine stocks in the UK. We could can thousands of sardines because it’s so plentiful right now.”
She continued, “We’ve decided against canning juvenile fish, which a lot of European canners do, because they haven’t had an opportunity to reproduce. We only can when the fish is mature and at its best.” When Sea Sisters launched in 2021, the company was canning pollock. Now, Dawe explained, this species is struggling in the UK. Therefore, Sea Sisters has instead switched direction to sardines, hake, ling, and others. “For us, it’s about being agile and selective when it comes to the sustainability of each fish,” Dawe concluded.
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