Polski Karp innovates to enhance carp’s popularity
The Polski Karp association, founded in 2012, was created in response to the growing demand for premium-quality carp, bred according to traditional methods and welfare standards. In 2016, the association gained official recognition as a Producer Organisation; today, it encompasses nearly 80 farms focused on carp breeding and processing. In addition to carp, the association offers a variety of freshwater fish such as grass carp, silver carp, catfish, sturgeon, crucian carp, tench, and pike.
Joint actions give the Polski Karp association a much stronger negotiating position with suppliers and customers—including fish processors and retail chains. We understand that only by working together can we cope with certain challenges which sometimes are too big for a single fish farm, explains Dawid Tarasiewicz, President of the Management Board of Polish Karp. Only together, operating as a Producer Organisation, can we keep the promotion activities at a level where they will have a notable impact on the market.
Carp deserves a promotion
Though carp is considered a tricky fish to sell due to its bones and sometimes muddy taste, it is the most recognisable and favoured fish in Central and Eastern Europe. Carp is an essential component of Christmas Eve dining, and Christmas sales peak in Poland more than anywhere else in the region. The Polish market for carp has been stable for many years, but it is difficult to attract young consumers, as live, wholeround carp can hardly be called a “convenience product”. The preparations needed to cook it and the large number of bones can turn this fish into a real puzzle for an inexperienced chef.
Polski Karp’s marketing role is to promote carp as not only a Christmas treat, but a delicious, healthy, and easy-to-cook product suitable for consumption any day of the year. The association offers attractive products to consumers—for example, fillets or notched fillets paired with inspiring cooking suggestions. Polski Karp also educates consumers, promoting carp production as the most sustainable form of farming. Carp production supports biodiversity by retaining natural water bodies and creating habitats for birds and freshwater invertebrates. In many ways, carp is worth the effort spent on promotion.
Generating consumer awareness and interest
Thanks to European Maritime, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) support, says Mr Tarasiewicz, we have the opportunity to run a large promotional campaign in 2024-2027, which includes both national and international activities. In Poland, these activities will include TV advertising, internet promotions, billboards, presence on screens in shopping malls and fitness clubs, POS (point of sale) activities, as well as field activities—cooking shows and tastings of innovative dishes using carp. The campaign’s slogan is: “Carp—Healthy by Nature” and it emphasises the nutritional value of carp and its farming method—a -year production cycle in earthen ponds, in conditions close to natural. Promotions outside Poland include participation in international trade shows, such as the Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, where Polski Karp facilitates a culinary show at Poland’s national pavilion.
Markets are evolving in different directions Post-COVID financial instability, worsened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has led to an increase in carp prices in recent years. To some extent, this has hampered the development of value-added products, with Polish consumers looking for cheaper forms of carp. However, Mr Tarasiewicz is convinced that the market will get back on track. We observe that consumers are increasingly expecting high-quality ultrafresh (not refreshed) fish. They also want a guarantee that the fish is produced in Poland, or comes from a specific region in the country, or even from a specific farm.
While retail chains still dominate carp sales, short-supply chains are also gaining traction. Customers can visit fish farms directly to purchase the highest quality carp, and they are often willing to pay a premium for it. The market is evolving in multiple directions, requiring Polski Karp to meet the diverse expectations of different consumer segments. As a Producer Organisation, they foster strong relationships with fish processors, while also investing in modernising the members’ own processing facilities with new equipment for efficient fish processing and packaging to stay competitive. Polski Karp’s aspirations for the future First of all, explains Mr Tarasiewicz, we wish that the EU and Polish legal regulations will allow us to develop fish farming, and that the authorities would appreciate that it is a sustainable activity that requires support in exchange for the water-treatment and environmental services provided. We want the administrative and legal barriers to access EMFAF subsidies to be reduced. And we would wish that fish consumers are not only guided by price but also appreciate other advantages of the product—its local origin, sustainable production, freshness, and nutritional value.