Page 19 - The Peorian Vol 3 Issue 1 Winter

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For example, Faroe Islands
salmon that has become popular
at Dixon’s because it is farm-
raised salmon that tastes like
wild salmon, must be shipped
from the Faroe Islands to Eng-
land, then to Boston and finally
trucked to Peoria. Livingston said
that is not atypical, depending on
trends in the industry.
“Logistics is very important in
our industry because of the lim-
ited time we have to get the fish
here and into our case or fitting it
into our distribution schedule,”
he said. “We get a truck in from
Boston three times a week.”
Dixon said the seafood indus-
try is more regulated than meat
and thus, more political. “We
don’t have the number of lobby-
ists the beef and pork industries
do. Seafood can be very misun-
derstood and the consumer often
gets mixed messages on what
kind of fish is good for them or
isn’t. Sometimes that can change
weekly. The market is constantly
changing,” he said.
Another big item on the retail
side for Dixon’s is its deli, where
it sells prepared seafood and fish
dishes. These are prepared in the
kitchens of the stores, fresh daily.
“I like to experiment with reci-
pes,” Dixon said. “I’m not afraid
to fail. If our customers don’t like
it, out it goes. If a dish works for
central Illinois, we keep it.”
While the company will try
and get special orders for custom-
ers when possible, it will not ship
in anything that is illegal in the
United States. “We have in the
past been asked to do that but we
can’t. We can’t and we won’t,”
Dixon said.
Fish farming has changed
much in the last five to 10 years,
all for the better, Livingston said.
“And if we didn’t have fish farm-
ing we wouldn’t have some of the
fish that are most popular here,
such as tilapia. Thank God we
have the science,” he said.
Tilapia is one of the top fish
sold in the United States, along
with salmon, shrimp, cod and
catfish.
Peoria at one time was the top
place in the country for catfish,
Dixon said, before farm-raised
catfish came along. “Then catfish
started taking a back seat to
other, more exotic types. That’s
why we keep up with trends and
listen to our customers,” he said.
“If we don’t, we won’t be around
very long.”
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