When Shipping Creates Companies

Now that I’m two weeks into having my first community supported fish, I’m able to give the whole process and concept of it all a more solid review. Weeks ago I mentioned how I excited I was for the fresh, line-caught fish from Alaska to arrive at my doorstep. And here we are, two weeks later.

I can honestly say that this fish is the best I’ve ever tasted. Perhaps it’s because it’s line-caught instead of being caught with tons of other bycatch. Maybe it’s because it’s fished sustainably and the areas aren’t overfished. Perhaps it’s the process in which it’s only been frozen one time. Or it could be the cleaning process. No matter what the reason is, I’ve never had fish smell so unfishy before. The taste, the fluffiness, and the aroma are all amazingly beyond what I expected from a “fish shipped to your doorstep in shipping boxes” business model, and yet I’m floored nonetheless.

It’s funny that such a business could succeed as it has. At first glance, it seems kind of weird or counterproductive. But when you nail down exactly what is needed in certain parts of the country, you have a recipe for an amazing business. For example, community supported agricultures are all the rage right now, with the midwest having its heyday compared to the coastal regions. But copying that model has been huge for fisheries on both the east and west coast, and so community supported fisheries became a thing.

Seems a bit unfair for different regions to be cut off depending on their geography though, right? Well, that’s what this company in Alaska noticed, and so they decided to make a second home base in Chicago in order to ship the majority of their fish to the midwest and have it delivered just days later.

I know that I’ll be looking forward to shipment days each and every month, if only because it’s all quite exciting. The last time my shipment arrived, I couldn’t wait to read more about the fish within, check out the recipes that were sent with it, and also get a specially crafted note for me as a consumer. Ripping into the shipping boxes will be something I do from now on simply because it’s a lot of fun, and I love to see the beautiful colors of the perfectly frozen fresh fish. It’s fish like I’ve never seen it before, and I’m highly on board with this business.