Trident launched its first value-added product tailored for the Chinese market during the China seafood expo last week.

The packaging has both English and Chinese printed on it and the skinpack Alaskan products include pollock, sablefish, sockeye salmon and cod.

The company plans on selling the products first through e-commerce channels such as Tmall and JD.com, to receive consumer feedback before expanding to Chinese retailers and other branded platforms.

"We want to get as close as we can to that consumer. We're hiring people for our branded sales team in Shanghai," said Trident China Business Office Senior Director Jeff Welbourn.

The new product is 120-200 grams and offers information on the species, a recipe and a WeChat QR code that allows consumers can go to read more of the story behind the product.

Welbourn emphasized to IntraFish the fact that these products are single-frozen, IQF and vacuum packed.

"We process and freeze them in Alaska, ship them frozen to China where they're skinpacked to order. Retailers can then thaw them for the chilled section or sell them in the freezer section," he said.

The company is also currently trying to get its omega-3 wild Alaskan salmon oil supplements approved as a blue-cap nutraceutical health product. It's the only virgin-pressed fish oil pill on the market and is currently sold in US Costco stores.

Also, its canned pink and sockeye salmon are approved for China, but not as a branded product. Trident is currently designing a retail label that meets China's labeling regulations.

"Most canned products in China are previously frozen, twice-cooked with additives. Ours is packed raw in Alaska and cooked in the can. It's never frozen and it only contains salmon and salt," he told IntraFish.

Also, as of Thursday last week, the company started selling its salmon burger and salmon bites on JD.com and Tmall along with its pollock burger.

"We're noticing three generations in China: the older generation wants live, swimming fish; the middle generation wants fresh but not frozen seafood; this new generation wants convenient, pre-prepared options. Next, we'd like to look at possibly adding seasoning packets to value-added products and create meal kits."

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Trident unveils first China-focused value-added line