Plain and simple Victoria Brand seafood is excellent quality. When we buy Victoria Brand products, we are assured we are getting product that was handled with care, and produced only from the freshest seafood.
- Craig MacDonald, KMI Seafoods
About the Co-op
The Co-op purchases a variety of seafood from over 140 inshore commercial fishing vessels including: Lobster, Snow Crab, Halibut, Ground fish and Mackerel. The majority of product is purchased from vessels that are locally owned and operated by Co-op members. The purchasing and processing of this product results in the direct employment of as many as 125 people in peak periods and contributes approximately $2 million in payroll to our local economy.
Victoria Co-op Fisheries is currently managed by Osborne Burke (General Manager) in co-operation with an Executive Management Committee comprised of three of the Directors of the Victoria Co-op. Overall the Victoria Co-op is governed by an 11-member Board of Directors. Fish harvesters make up 100% of the ownership of the Co-operative.
History
The Co-op has survived the collapse of the ground fishery and other related fisheries by revamping the business model to include processing shellfish. Sales in 2013 reached an excess of $21 Million. We shipped product to Europe and Asia, with the majority of product exported to the United States.
Locale
The Co-op’s operations are based out of the region commonly referred to as North of Smokey. This area spans from Ingonish Ferry to Meat Cove on the Northern tip of Cape Breton Island.
North of Smokey can be described as primarily a resource-based economy, with the primary employer being the commercial fishery. As a result, the largest employer is the Victoria Co-op Fisheries Limited, with additional employment generated by the Cape Breton Highlands National Park and the tourism industry.