Food Adelaide Value Chain Award

Winner: Dover Fisheries

Dover Fisheries value chain reaches from abalone farmers to themselves as processors and marketers through to expert seafood marketers on to the customers in Hong Kong. Their approach has come due to the need for Australian abalone farmers to differentiate their products in a highly competitive market and the need to respond to consumer demands. Dover Fisheries have created an environment in which any part of the process from farm to market can respond to consumer desire and needs with the outcome of improved profits for all in the chain.

Judges Comments:

Dover Fisheries, representing an abalone value chain, is an excellent example of a business demonstrating the core principles of value chain management; leading strategic alignment of the chain, strong relationships amongst chain partners, transparent information sharing within the entire chain, all informed and guided by timely knowledge of customer needs and, most importantly, consumer wants.  Dover Fisheries is the ‘pivot point’ of the chain, bringing together the knowledge and understanding of the Hong Kong consumers with, the customers in Hong Kong, expert seafood marketers MG Kailis Australia and the abalone farmers in Australia represented by Ausab. In 2008 Dover Fisheries, Ausab and MG Kailis realised that to be competitive in the global market they needed to work together, and through a formal agreement, aligned themselves strategically.  This has allowed the chain partners to innovate collaboratively and develop an abalone product specifically for the younger consumers in Hong Kong, overcoming traditional barriers and growing the full chain.  In the process they have shared both the risks and rewards, with the entire chain benefiting in the long term.