Quality Seafood acquires Kraan’s Palinghandel

Quality Seafood has acquired Kraan’s Palinghandel and will continue its operations as Maravea BV. The familiar faces will remain, but the organization will take on a new structure. The company is opting for separate processing and fixed agreements with fishermen. This approach should provide stability in a market with fluctuating supply and demand.

Family business established in 1890

Kraan’s Palinghandel began trading eel from the Braassemermeer in Oude Wetering. Until 2014, the family operated a large smokehouse in Urk. The company smoked eel, salmon, and trout there. In 2014, the family sold the premises to Leroy. Operations then moved to fish merchant Klooster in Enkhuizen. This company is part of the Nijvis Groep.

After several years, Bart Kraan resumed the eel business. The now 74-year-old entrepreneur worked alongside Klaas Tol. They rented a processing facility from Octopus at Stortemelk in Urk. Bart Kraan and Klaas Tol will continue working at Maravea. The lease for the processing facility has also been transferred. This allows the company to process salmon and eel separately. According to buyer Maarten Bakker, this improves hygiene and quality.

Direct sales offer greater certainty

Nearly all eel caught in the IJsselmeer is sold directly to buyers. The financial transactions are handled through the Urker IJsselmeervisafslag. Only a few small batches are still sold through the auction clock.

According to fisherman Jelle Hakvoort, there are too few buyers for this method. Direct sales also give fishermen more flexibility when unloading their catch. They are not restricted by the auction clock’s operating hours. This means they can also unload on Saturdays, for example.

Contracts assure fishermen that all their eel will be purchased. This applies to the entire catch, from small to large.

Maravea opts for stable prices

According to Bakker, demand for eel exceeds supply. However, demand is not always consistent. When supply peaks, auction prices can fall quickly. Buyers cannot process and sell all the eel immediately. Keeping eel alive also has its limitations. Some of the eel also dies while being held.

“We are therefore opting for greater stability and agreed prices,” says Bakker. Maravea will not smoke eel itself. Some will go to fish retailers in the Netherlands. Most of the eel will be shipped to other European countries. The company supplies markets including Sweden, Italy, Portugal, and Latvia. Maravea only sells smoked trout.

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