Yi Guan settling on exports of Norwegian salmon to China.
He is perhaps best known from his tenure as a salmon salesman in NRS and later in Front Marine. But in recent years, Norwegian-Chinese Yi Guan has built up the export company Bergen Seafood.
Last year the company had a turnover of EUR 21 million, down from EUR 30 million in 2019, from its base in Askøy, outside of Bergen.
Next Level
“We are fully up and running in China, and see that Askøy is a little too small for the next level,” Yi Guan told the news site Askøyværingen.
“We’re renovating. Freezer storage, office, restaurant and shop,” Yi Guan told SalmonBusiness.
Now he’s taking his family and the store to Oslo.
Supermarkets
Bergen Seafood is engaged in the business of air freighting salmon from Norway to China. Among the suppliers are the salmon farmers SalMar and Nova Sea. Oslo Airport is a hub in logistics.
Fish are sent to Quingdao, where they are processed, before being sold through supermarkets in the 11 million habitant city of Guangzhou.
“The goal now is to land a deal with three of the country’s largest supermarket chains and to control the entire value chain from capture to consumer. This requires external capital,” said Yi Guan, who estimates a capital requirement of EUR 5-10 million in the first stage.
