BILOXI SHRIMP COMPANY

BY JULIAN BRUNT

The pandemic has been tough on many businesses, but none have been hit harder that wholesalers that depend on big restaurant orders to survive. When restaurants were ordered to shutter, many lost the majority of their business and the future looked grim. Business is better today, although still uncertain, but many businesses saw that change was coming, and some of the changes just might be permanent.

Restaurants and wholesalers alike realized that to survive, it was not going to be business as usual. Innovation was the name of the game. Restaurants turned to take out menus and added comfort food to their menus, but whole sellers had fewer choices.

But the Biloxi Shrimp Company saw an opportunity and took advantage of it. The demand for shrimp, the most popular seafood to that is caught in the Gulf of Mexico, would remain in demand. So, if you cannot sell to the restaurants, why not sell direct to the consumer? It was a bold idea and the nuts and bolts of exactly how to make it work had to be figured out, but difficult times require difficult solutions.

Machinery that cleans and deveins shrimp.

Raw shrimp on the line.

Initially, IQF (instant quick freeze) shrimp were made available for pickup three days a week at the factory loading dock. You could call your order in and when ready, drive by to pick it up, never having to get out of the car. In those first hectic days, there was often a long line of cars, but people gladly waited for locally caught shrimp that might not be available in any other way. But what about people who lived too far away to make the drive? Marry social media with efficient and affordable shipping methods, and distance really doesn’t matter; a fact that many people have realized in many different markets. The Biloxi Shrimp Company now sells frozen shrimp in 16 states, and business continues to grow. Pick up is now limited to the last Friday of each month, and it remains a popular option, but people have realized that it is so easy and affordable to have beautiful Gulf shrimp delivered to their front door, no matter where you live. If you worry about the quality of IQF shrimp, don’t. Just off the boat shrimp are frozen in a matter of just a few seconds, and within a few more seconds, packaged and are ready for shipment. It is astonishing just how quickly the operation is performed. We live in stressful times, and many people are not comfortable with the new realities that we face. But not all of the changes are negative. Many restaurants are doing much better than expected with take out, family meals and the comfort food they added to the menu. Why not order wild caught Gulf of Mexico shrimp, fresher than many people can buy it from the seafood counter at their local grocery store, delivered to your home? edm

Biloxi Shrimp Company 260 Maple Street, Biloxi, Mississippi (228) 435-1911 Shrimp coming out of the IQF machine.

Shrimp just seconds after being frozen.