Fish farm to expand for Big Y
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Through a sourcing deal with a regional fish farm, Big Y Foods will buy 5,000 pounds a week of barramundi, a freshwater fish originally from Australia, while the farm, Montague, Mass.-based Australis Aquaculture, LLC will expand its capacity with a 19,400-square-foot addition.
Big Y and Australis took 15 months to hammer out the deal, as Big Y needed assurance that the company could supply its 54 supermarkets in Massachusetts and Connecticut, according to the chain's v.p. of corporate communication, Claire D'Amour. D'Amour was interviewed by The Republican newspaper in Springfield.
Big Y stores will begin offering Barramundi fillets at around $9 per pound on March 23.
To fulfill the new supply deal, the farm will boost its production capacity by 40 percent to 1,000 tons a year. The company is investing $900,000 in new construction and $1.1 million in new equipment.
Big Y and Australis took 15 months to hammer out the deal, as Big Y needed assurance that the company could supply its 54 supermarkets in Massachusetts and Connecticut, according to the chain's v.p. of corporate communication, Claire D'Amour. D'Amour was interviewed by The Republican newspaper in Springfield.
Big Y stores will begin offering Barramundi fillets at around $9 per pound on March 23.
To fulfill the new supply deal, the farm will boost its production capacity by 40 percent to 1,000 tons a year. The company is investing $900,000 in new construction and $1.1 million in new equipment.