Today we’d like to introduce you to Ted Hammerman.
Hi Ted, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
The way it all began is way back around 1980. I invented a fish trap that had a tapered design and was ballasted to withstand ocean bottom currents. An average boat that used the common wire box, square trap, went out with 25 traps maximum due to the bulky size and shape. With my gear, the boat could use 3 times as many, minimizing the trips and ultimately making more money to feed his family and bank some. After a while of selling the traps in National Fisherman magazine, the United Nations saw my ad and asked if I wanted to go to Sri Lanka and show them how “passive fishing gear” could benefit the 3rd world. So, off I go to Sri Lanka, waving goodbye to my now pregnant wife, armed with 4 traps, and ending up in a place that used to be called Siam. I set up an itinerary for the vessel we leased, and myself and crew used my gear and all the other designs I always wanted to make to fish around the perimeter of the island country, assessing the bottom fish biomasses to see if the catches would be sustainable for an inshore subsistent fishery. Once back in the USA, I quickly became a new father and started a cottage crab trap industry with Vietnamese boat people who settled in the Myrtle Beach area. Then on to a shop to continue making my traps and shrimp boat doors.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Has it been a smooth road? Hell no! Many bumps in the street since I was always breaking new ground while working on making a living doing things I like to do that seem interesting and intriguing. My wife, pregnant with our second child, was working in a plumbing company in the early days. I told her boss she needed a raise; he said no. I said then I would start a seafood market in Myrtle Beach. So from there, it was mom-and-pop cutting and selling fish to the public. Then I began shipping flounders to Japan, which morphed into a fish house in the Outer Banks, NC. Later, to a larger fish house in Myrtle. At this point, Phillips Foods bought me out cause they were facing a trade embargo on crabmeat, and I was their fish superpower to give them a presence in the marketplace for hall-of-fame fish processed on the other side of the planet that thawed out like it was fresh. The frozen fish back then needed to be of better quality. So I started in Sulawesi, Indonesia, then off to the Philippines, Thailand, and East Malaysia (Kalimantan), to end in South America and Central America. Yes, the seafood business has always struggled since America’s trends and tastes change constantly. Having a base in Myrtle Beach has always been a financial roller coaster since its a tourist town, and the cash needed to survive yearly has to be made during the 100-day summer.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might need to become more familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize and am known for my work as a co-gas technologist. I can upgrade and value-add products. Co-gas has been used in the beef industry for years to keep ground beef from turning gray in the case. The same holds for fish. I also have a system to co-treat fish at sea, typically in a can for use in sushi bars. My latest tagline, Give it a try cause your tongue won’t lie! To create a niche of a product when needed, for instance, during the dark, depressed days of the pandemic, I found a group in Tunisia that had a plant that had the potential to process crabmeat. Due to many pandemic factors, crabmeat was a precious commodity. I now produce crabmeat and clusters in Tunisia, frozen, organic, single steamed, natural fresh frozen meat. Now to hip the American public to this rather than the pasteurized meat that is shelf stable in the can for 2 years. I have this flavor profile and product I am proud of. I am also proud of having my daughter as my partner, who bought into my dream! This in itself is the best proud feeling a father can have! “Child is father to the man” What sets us apart from others is “sparks from the fingertips” and the ability to consistently push forward no matter the obstacles in our path.
Are books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
National fisherman magazine linked in Fao
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mrfish.com
- Instagram: mrfishseafoodmarketmb
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mrfishrestaurant | mrfishseafoodmarket.com
- Linkedin: thammerman@yahoo.com
Image Credits
Nicole Davis, Ted Hammerman and Sheina Hammerman
