Focus on local business

Rye News reported on April 6  Welcome Grant for Rye Fisheries about the £170,000 award to Chapmans, a local fish wholesaler. Following on from this article, we can share more information about Chapmans vision for developing their business further and how the funding will help them. Louise and Keith Chapman are both business people with a proven track record for extraordinary drive and a “Let’s find a way” approach to life. They are also completely committed to sustainability, and helping their local Rye community.

Brexit and Covid lockdown created enormous barriers to their business with lack of clear government guidelines and sudden barriers to export. Pre-Brexit, fishermen could sell their fish direct to auctions in France, for example, with little or no documentation and all very informal at the quayside. Post-Brexit, all of this ended, and Chapmans were worried the small-boat fishing industry would completely die out.

Part of central government’s measures to manage Brexit has been “levelling up” funding. But for the fishing industry, this has resulted in huge grants worth tens of millions of pounds going to the biggest players (including Brixham, Eastbourne and Newhaven). They have spent the money on industrial scale refrigeration systems, discounted transportation, and a focus on the biggest fishing trawlers using huge dredging-type fishing equipment. All of this has priced the smaller boats, using much more sustainable types of fishing, out in the cold. Chapmans, given they work with only smaller boats, are also completely unable to compete on price at every level of the fishing industry system – from fishing vessel to end-customer. So, without thought to the effects of the levelling up investing, Westminster is driving out the smaller boats and therefore too, the more environmentally-sustainable form of fishing using lines and specific nets for specific fish at specific, seasonal, times of year.

All this sounds incredibly bleak for the Rye and Hasting fishery industry. Faced with this loss, Chapmans decided to put their heads down, and worked out the how, who, where, and what to find a way to survive, let alone make any profit. Even today, Chapmans come across the response to their questions from Westminster of “please let us know what the answer is when you find out” regarding exporting fish abroad, especially to European countries.

Chapmans investment in finding solutions and building workable relationships with government and business is now, three years later, beginning to pay off. They provide for fishermen the knowledge of how to fill out the 50+ pages of data needed for every fish export. They also provide the routes to market across the UK (and the world) for individual catches. When selling to Europe, Chapmans have found some countries can take 3 or more months to pay for the fish exported to them. This lag of time can eat into any cash reserves, and the delays are impossible to manage if you are too small a business. With their knowledge and support, Chapmans business has gradually expanded: from working with only 6 boats 4 years ago, they have built up a business that works regularly with at least 60 fishing vessels. They have also enabled these fishermen to re-focus on the British market and they now sell at least 80% of their catch in the UK.

Chapmans have worked closely with local government on how to ensure sustainability. The £170,000 grant won from Rother Council will be given over a three year period, with smaller amounts in years 1 and 2, and the majority in year three. Chapmans are committed to providing their own additional investment to ensure they succeed with their vision.

The funding bid had a number of strands to it, all focused on pride for the community, sustainability and quality of the product: our local fish. Goals included:

• How to get more value (for fishermen, for the consumer and the business)
• How to employ more local people
• Education for both adults and children (funded via adult “how to prepare fish” classes)

The vision for development is customer-facing expansion, with development of the retail facilities, development of products, as well as an oyster/fish bar on site. Long- term product development might include producing fish stock and even a smokery. With requests from tourists, there is a demand for mail-order fish delivery. However, more funding investment would be needed to achieve all these ideas.

Another key part of their vision is education: bringing local school classes to visit, as well as potential placements for students to learn and work at the site. Chapmans is enhancing its partnership with local restaurants, with kitchen staff welcomed to learn more about how fish are processed and which fish are available throughout the seasons. Some Rye restaurants such as the Standard are even starting to list the specific boat where the fish came from, on their menu.

The government grant has not been received yet, but already Chapmans have started to develop their plans. For instance, a trailer fully kitted out with kitchen facilities has arrived and will be used for educational presentations such as filleting demonstrations.

One key new development is hiring a manager who can make the vision a reality. Welcome Emma McKeating, who has huge knowledge of the industry, as well as experience in education and social media. She has moved to Rye from Grimsby. So, if you see Emma when you visit Rye Fish Market, please give her a warm welcome. Or, look her up on Instagram, with her nickname “girlyfishmonger1983”. Hiring Emma aligns with the company ethos to develop female talent. Chapmans found fishermen’s wives were struggling to go back to work after becoming mothers, given the cost of childcare. They introduced options for flexible workhours, to enable women to manage childcare around work. Sustainability also means finding ways to excite the next generation to continue their fishing heritage. Good news for Rye is some of the children experience their parents’ passion for fish and are beginning to explore how they can learn to work with fish too. All brilliant news to ensure fishing continues to be part of Rye’s future.

Image Credits: Abigail Cooper-Hansen .