PRESS RELEASE: Dragon Tasmania spearheads new global markets for wild Tasmanian southern rock lobster

Singapore: An exciting new Tasmanian rock lobster brand was unveiled last night in Singapore.

For the first time, the world’s most loved lobster is now available in a more convenient and versatile format. Introducing Dragon Tasmania, iced fresh, then frozen whole to lock in the just caught taste that only the cold southern oceans can provide.

The launch event was held in partnership with Kaarla, Singapore’s newest sky-high Australian dining destination where 45 guests were treated to a newly created menu featuring Dragon Tasmania lobster in every dish – from canapes to dessert. As a dragon brings fortune, lucky are those who get to taste Tasmania’s finest wild Southern Rock Lobsters.

Dragon Tasmania is a collaboration between four of the biggest rock lobster companies in Tasmania: JSJ Seafood, The Seafood Gateway, SalCo Wild Legend and Red Rock Lobster. They came together with a shared passion and vision for the future. One where the focus is on what the customer wants: quality, convenience, and consistency.

The launch in Singapore is the culmination of 18 months of work.

“When the China market suddenly closed in October 2020, we were devastated. Everyone from the fishers to the customers suffered” said Nathan Maxwell from JSJ Seafood. “We knew that we had to do something different to recover and to protect our future. We needed to keep everyone in business and ensure the ongoing viability of the communities around Tasmania that depend on a healthy, sustainable, and profitable rock lobster industry.”

With the support of the Tasmanian Government, the global market for lobsters was studied to better understand customer needs and where opportunities existed to diversify markets. The opportunity was there to tap into a new segment of the lobster market that was being under-serviced.

Restaurants such as Kaarla exist because people want to experience the best produce presented in new and innovative ways. To deliver on that promise, restaurants need reliable access to premium products so they can build menus around them. The products need to be of the highest quality, shelf-stable and consistent supply.

Live seafood can only guarantee one of those (quality) and that is why wild southern rock lobster is not often available in some of the world’s best restaurants. Dragon Tasmania changes that by providing lobsters that offer the same flavour and texture that the cold southern oceans provide, but now in a format that can be stored and used by customers as and when they need it.

All four Dragon Tasmania suppliers have invested in upgrading their facilities with the latest seafood processing and freezing technologies to ensure that all the product, no matter which supplier provides it, consistently meets the same quality specifications. But the innovation doesn’t stop there.

“We are proud of our Tasmanian rock lobster industry and the work that is done to make sure that every lobster lands in the market in pristine condition. We wanted to show the world just how hard we all work to get Dragon Tasmania lobsters from the remote seas at the edge of the world to the finest dining tables in the world,” said Mr Maxwell. “We wanted to bring our brand story to life”

And so, the world’s first lobster with a fingerprint was created! Using Laava authentication technology, every customer can quickly use their smart device to scan the fingerprint to check that they have a genuine Dragon Tasmania product, find out about where it was caught, and which company supplied it. – bringing the story to life.

“We could not have achieved all this by working alone,” said Nathan, “we have had to learn to work together and, with the fantastic support of the Tasmanian Government, we have found a way to bring our vision to life”

Dragon Tasmania will be exhibiting in the Tasmanian Pavilion at Food and Hotel Asia Singapore from the 5th to the 8th of September 2022. We look forward to welcoming anyone who is in Singapore for this event at our stand 2D2-09.