Most people would feel uneasy about buying their weekly fish purchases out of a truck that set up shop in a parking lot, but one local couple is changing that with a fresh, sustainable product.
Since July, Peter Kenyon and his partner Dora Swan of Altamont have been selling fresh fish out of their large refrigerated truck at the Delmar Farmers Market, with help from their son-in-law Andy Scram. Since the market has closed for the winter, the Fin — Your Fishmonger truck has been parked each Saturday at the Philips Hardware on Delaware Avenue and the ConRel parking lot on Carmen Road in Guilderland.
Swan said she understands how the concept can seem weird to passersby and others just finding out about the unique business venture.
“People have seen us and had questions,” she said. “We just tell them how fresh our product is and our philosophy on maintaining a sustainable population in the ocean, and give them a price list. They soon understand we’re not just people selling fish out of a parking lot.”
Kenyon said the venture started when The Cousins Fish Market in Albany closed in 2009. Scram was a head buyer and fish cutter for the market, until it went out of business and he lost his job. Kenyon himself recently left a job in the hotel and restaurant industry and was looking for something to do, so both men thought of trying to sell fish themselves.
“We didn’t have enough capital for a full store, so we got a truck,” Kenyon said.
The fish is shipped straight from the docks of Boston three times a week to a refrigerated warehouse space the owners rent in Rotterdam. Scram relied on the fisherman and inspectors he formed relationships with while working at Cousins to send Fin a quality product. He also taught Swan and Kenyon how to tell the difference between good and poor quality fish, what they shouldn’t sell based on fishing practices and if the fish were truly caught fresh or were farm raised.
“We’ve sent fish back if we feel it isn’t up to our standards,” said Kenyon, explaining he’s proud of how much he’s learned since starting the business. They also refuse to sell sea bass, since the giant nets used to catch the fish entrap smaller creatures as well, which harms the ocean’s ecosystem.
Also, none of their products are frozen. According to Kenyon, the majority of tilapia is frozen and is farm raised in countries like Japan and Vietnam, so Fin buys their tilapia fresh from Costa Rica and has it flown in overnight. Similarly, the arctic char is shipped in from Iceland.
However, the freshness of their product means it’s hard for Fin to keep the same seafood products on their price list. Kenyon said it has been hard to get scallops in because the boats won’t go out due to the recent high winds, and tuna has been hard to find because they migrate this time of year and fisherman have trouble catching them.
“Sometimes we have to notify customers of a change last minute,” said Swan.
The couple said since attending the farmer’s market, word of mouth has helped their business greatly. They started a Fin email list so customers could be sent the weekly price list, and they now have 400 followers. They also have a Twitter and Facebook account to keep people in the know. The hope is to eventually open a storefront, so Fin can provide a larger quantity and variety of products to customers.
“Right now we’re trying to work with SUNY, because they have a small business development program,” said Kenyon. “We’d like to work with them to eventually get a loan to open a store.”
According to Swan, Scram has since stepped back from Fin to pursue a full-time job, but will stay on as a consultant to help out.
Frequent Fin customer Richard Reeves-Ellington of Delmar said he buys something from the truck every week because he likes knowing where his fish comes from and that it’s fresh.
“I believe in buying local as much as possible,” he said. “It’s businesses like this that give us a sense of community.”
Reeves-Ellington, who recently ran for Bethlehem supervisor, explained he also likes the social aspect of getting to know the owners and swapping recipes each week with other customers who visit the truck.
Swanson believes it’s that personal touch that has people coming back, but Kenyon said it helps that new health recommendations suggest eating fish two to three times each week.
“People come to pick up their dinner for the night, but it’s so fresh they can buy extra to keep until Tuesday or Wednesday. They could also freeze it,” he said.
According to Swan, being in the seafood business wasn’t on her bucket list, but she’s grateful for the opportunity.
“For us, it’s not really about making money, but offering a product we feel good about and keeping customers happy,” she said.
