Freycinet Marine Farm
By:
MacTavish West
Date:
24th July 2019
The Brief: Giles and Julia Fisher produce oysters and mussels on Tasmania’s pristine East Coast on the Freycinet Peninsula. They have a farm gate café and shop and wanted premium, longer shelf-life products for their customers and for export markets, retaining the specific attributes of fresh cooked mussels.
The Action: Hazel used Julia’s recipes as a base, and applied standard food technology and science approaches to optimise the process and formulation. Collaborations with other contract manufacturers led to mussel products with even longer shelf-life, both as dried and retorted products. Protocols were developed for Julia to make the products herself, and the safety and shelf-life of these were validated by MacTavish West.
“Hazel is an amazing person to work with. As a food technologist, she knew what to do to extend the shelf-life of our products. Hazel identified and created products and processes that retained the identity of the mussel that we know and love”. Julia Fisher, Freycinet Marine Farm.
The Outcomes:
• 4 different pickled mussel products under the Fishers of Freycinet (new) brand:
• Pickled Fisher
• Mediterranean (chilli and dill)
• Freycinet Sunrise (turmeric and chilli)
• Pink Gin Spices (gin spices and pepperberry)
• 3 ready to eat dry soup mixes
• A long ambient shelf-life mussel product for export
Awards: At the 2019 Royal Hobart Fine Food Awards:
• Mediterranean Pickled Mussels were awarded Gold, and Reserve Seafood Champion.
• Freycinet Sunrise Pickled Mussels were awarded Silver
• Pink Gin Spices Pickled Mussels were awarded Silver
• Perfectly Pickled Mussels were awarded Silver
