Best known for its frozen fish sticks, Gorton’s is going direct, and upscale. Last month the Gloucester, MA-based food manufacturer launched the Gorton’s Fresh Seafood Website (www.gortonsfreshseafood.com) selling such high-end treats as live lobsters and crab legs.
“Gorton’s always wanted to expand beyond frozen seafood into higher-end products,” says senior marketing manager Nancy Peterson. “We see the site as primarily a gift-giving occasion as opposed to putting a meal on the table, which is what Gorton’s retail is about.”
While the fish, shellfish, and caviar that Gorton’s sells are available from other online companies, Peterson says the 155-year-old Gorton’s has an advantage: brand-name recognition. Around a year ago, the company hired a research firm to survey online shoppers of specialty foods. With issues such as safety in mind, these shoppers said they would like to buy fish online, but only from a brand they were familiar with.