Great Lakes Tinned Fish: Interview with Marissa Fellows

Yeah, I love this question because I have so much heart for people who have been eating anchovies since they could eat solid foods. That wasn't the case for me. I loved tuna fish growing up—I was a tuna fish melt girly. My mom made tuna fish all the time, but that was really the extent of it.

We ate a lot of fish– my grandparents on my dad's side are from England. I have vivid memories of making fish and chips at their place, having mushy peas, and typically using cod, sometimes perch or other local fish. Fish was always a big part of my upbringing.

It wasn't until I lived in Boston that I discovered tinned fish. That's actually a big part of Great Lakes Tinned Fish's story. You may have seen it on the Kickstarter, but I went on a date to a woman-owned wine bar in Boston. They had a wine list and a tinned fish list, like a "seacuterie" charcuterie board. You picked a couple of tins, and they did the whole spread with cheeses, mustards, pickled veggies, baguette, and more.

It was a foreign concept to me at the time, but I was intrigued and fell in love with it. I thought, with just a few ingredients, you can dip the bread right into the tin—it all just worked. That was when I asked myself, "Why don't we have this in Michigan? Why don't we have this in the Great Lakes?" And that's how the idea was born.

That's a great question. I don't know if it was that specific night or a fast follow after when I started purchasing from the store, but the gateway for me was José Gourmet. Their codfish with garlic is so flavorful and so good—the fish just flakes perfectly. It's not overpowering, and you can open up that tin, eat the whole thing, and have it be a decent portion of protein for a meal.

I feel like I had herring that night, possibly from a New England provider. My memory is a bit foggy since that night was in 2017. There was also a really good mustard, either on the spread or as part of the tin. I can't say for sure if I ordered José Gourmet that night, but that was the first can that made a strong impression on me until I went to Portugal.

In Portugal, I visited Sol e Pesca, a restaurant entirely dedicated to tinned fish. I had tuna fillets with cinnamon and orange flavor, some arranged on slices of apple or with wine crackers sprinkled with thyme. That opened my eyes to the possibilities of tinned fish as an appetizer, where the tinned fish is still the star.

Nowadays, the sky's the limit. Using tinned fish within a dish makes a lot of sense. You think of anchovies on pizza or pasta puttanesca, where the brininess of olives or capers complements the fresh sea taste of anchovies or sardines.

Playing off classics like pasta puttanesca, you can incorporate white fish that would never have been used in a Mediterranean dish. It's fun to think about old meets new, honoring traditional ways of eating while creating fresh takes.

For example, you can make a white fish dip, similar to the smoked white fish dip popular in the Midwest. It's like an elevated or fresh take on a classic.

Marissa: I don't think I've ever had a tin that I didn't like. I'm saying that now and dusting off the cobwebs. I think I've had some mussels that were a little too gristly, where the eating experience wasn't great.

Jared: I don't think I've ever had anything that was necessarily bad, but if I do, it's usually a textural thing.

Marissa: Yeah, and I feel like those experiences have been more with other seafood types, not fish.

Jared: For sure.

Marissa: Definitely mussels. I just had an amazing can of smoked oysters recently because of the smoky flavor.

Jared: Yeah, smoked oysters are fun. I'm curious—you're coming out with a smoked whitefish tin, which we'll talk about in a moment. I've had people ask, "What kind of whitefish?" But it's literally called whitefish. It's the species, which I recently learned is related to salmon, trout, and char. Super exciting. If you like those, definitely give whitefish a try.

My favorites are typically mussels because you can put them in so many things, or different types of white fish. I like cod, mackerel, and trout. I really like trout, including trout jerky. Fishwife has their jerky gem trout option, and those are my favorites hands down.

But I'm getting into smoked oysters. I haven't been a big tinned oyster fan because I love shucking and eating raw oysters, so I've never really gone for tinned oysters. Salmon and tuna are nice too because I eat a lot of salmon regularly. If I'm being lazy and just want to throw something into my salad, having tinned salmon or tuna is a staple. It's nice to upgrade from tuna fish in water.

When introducing people to tinned fish, I love Scout's canned lobster. It's more of a treat, but it's fun to have on hand. I did deviled eggs for Easter with just a tiny bit of lobster, like a lobster roll deviled egg.

I don't eat a ton of sardines, but I have them stocked. Last summer in France and Italy, I went to a cooking class in Lyon, and we made pasta puttanesca. So, it's more about the specific ambiance or vibe I want to go for, like being on the Amalfi coast.

Marissa: That's a great question, and I appreciate that you're educating your audience on the fact that it's not a category of fish. When you have the two words spaced out, "white fish," it refers to a category, but "lake whitefish," all one word, is its own species. It's interesting that it's related to salmon, trout, and char. I'm not a marine biologist, so my understanding of those species might be limited, but they feel very different to me. Trout and salmon alone just feel distinct.

Whitefish was a no-brainer for me because people are obsessed with whitefish in the Midwest. Especially whitefish dip and whitefish pâté—there's nothing else like it that instantly transports you to a lake house or cottage, especially in northern Michigan. It's a way of life for those summer months when everyone flocks to the coast and the beach. I wanted to bottle that up, or rather, can it up, because it's very nostalgic and sentimental.

From a business opportunity perspective, no one is tinning whitefish to my knowledge. Even for people with an affinity for whitefish who have summered in the Midwest or have family connections here, they'll share that same sentiment and want to experience it year-round with the shelf life of a tin. So, it really felt like a no-brainer.

We also have to be mindful of population management for some of the species in the Great Lakes. Having small batch options like I plan to do with other species outside whitefish is a way to ensure sustainability. Even if there's a year with a smaller fresh catch, the tins allow for enjoyment throughout the year. It's a sustainable way to manage our fish populations and be good stewards.

Jared: I think to add to some of your points on the sustainability side, canned seafood is interesting because you can produce these long-lasting products at times when fish populations are most healthy. You can can them when they're at their freshest and then have inventory for the rest of the year. Unlike fresh meats, poultry, or beef, canned seafood can actually enhance the flavor over time, making something new and delicious. That's something people often don't realize.

You've mentioned that part of your ethos for Great Lakes Tinned Fish is bringing the spirit of hospitality that exists in Michigan and the Great Lakes region. I think on your Kickstarter, you even called out the #PureMichigan spirit. For those who don't know...

That's such a beautiful question because it's so ingrained in who I am that it's hard for me to even fathom people who wouldn't be familiar with that. If you've never been to the Midwest, "Pure Michigan" is an advertising campaign put on by the state, but for a very good reason. If you've never seen them, there's great videos on YouTube. Tim Allen is the voice of the campaign, which is fitting because thinking about Home Improvement and Midwestern hospitality is like an invitation to come and stay a while, to slow down a bit, to know your neighbor.

My mom is the queen of oversharing. When we talk to people, she'll tell them her life story even if she just met them two minutes ago. My dad and I joke about it, but it's something I love most about being home. It's about appreciating people, salt-of-the-earth folks, hardworking and community-oriented. You think of block parties and a simpler way of life than when I was hustling and grinding in Boston. There, I didn't know all my neighbors by name, wasn't asking them for sugar or anything I needed to borrow for dinner.

For me, buying my house in 2021 was important to have an open-door policy, to text people on a Wednesday and say, "I'm doing a seafood boil this Friday, come if you can." It's a potluck-style community that extends beyond eating and cooking but is central to the food experience. Tinned fish, although it has historic origins in southwestern Europe and parts of Asia, can be built upon to make it our own. It shouldn't feel foreign to crack open a tin when having people over for a cocktail hour or as an appetizer before a meal. This is for us, for everyone to enjoy and make memories around.

Tinned fish is a premium product due to its quality and supply chain, so it won't be as cheap as a tuna fish tin. However, I want people to feel that tinned fish can be a part of their way of life, something they can enjoy and make memories around. Hosting is a big part of my brand and ethos. There's an art to entertaining and sharing our lives with people, not being too busy to put in the time and effort. It's easier to eat fast food or go to a restaurant, and I support the restaurant industry, but it's beautiful to share your home with people. This was a big reason for me moving back home from Boston.

Sustainability is a tremendously important topic and one that, as a business owner, I approach with humility and a willingness to learn from true experts. When I was in early viability testing, before securing a co-packer or suppliers, I became a member of the MSU Product Center at Michigan State University, a great food innovation hub funded by tax dollars. They put me in touch with people at MI Sea Grant, who taught me a lot about fish population levels and the commercial fishing industry's regulations.

Understanding population levels in the Great Lakes is one of my biggest sustainability imperatives. The industry is actively managed, so there's less fear of overfishing. However, knowing which species are healthiest to eat and have the healthiest catch is crucial. Having a long-term outlook and being part of the conversation about fish populations is important to me. Different fishing styles, like dipping versus net catch, are things I'm learning about now. Issues like bycatch are more relevant to ocean commercial fishing, but food quality and working with Charlotte Langley, who is an MSC ambassador, help guide me.

There are few commercial fisheries in the Great Lakes, most of them are family-run and generations old. Some are not MSC certified, so part of my task is to get all my suppliers on the path to MSC certification. Rotating species is also important to avoid over-reliance on any one species, despite our love for whitefish.

Packaging is another aspect, and using tins means no plastics, which helps with sustainability. Transportation is a challenge because canneries that specialize in canning fish don't exist in the Midwest. Ultimately, I'd like to invest in supply chain innovations to localize it further, making the transportation side greener.

I also plan to have conversations with sustainably run aquaculture producers in Michigan, especially for trout species. Fish farms' operations vary greatly, but clean, humane conditions for fish are important. Balancing wild catch and aquaculture is part of the future, considering the depletion of wild catches. These are the big tenets of operating sustainably, and it's all very important to me. Being an active listener and learner in this industry is crucial for growing and scaling the business.

Jared: I think those are some great objectives to aspire to. It's interesting because making decisions about sustainability throughout the entire business is potentially more than just about when and where you catch the fish, how much you catch, and what species you catch. It's also about your supply chain and transportation, potentially moving towards a more localized setup. There's constantly trade-offs that have to be made when making these decisions. It's also not always easy to get answers from people across your supply chain who may not have given it much thought until you brought it up.

For newer companies like yours, it's something to aspire to from the start, knowing you might never be an expert. Change sometimes has to happen incrementally. If you've been working with or are trying to work with family-run, decades-old fisheries who have been doing things a certain way for a long time, it can be challenging to make immediate changes. You can't do everything right off the bat, especially as one person wearing every hat at the company.

This is a great segue because it sounds like you've laid out some lovely long-term goals for Great Lakes.

Definitely lake trout, probably the next option, maybe walleye or perch. We're starting conversations with different fisheries that have MSC certifications by species. They don't have it yet for their whitefish, but they have it for perch and walleye. There are also smaller fish like smelt or chub, which might be an interesting path. There's a lot of love for those, but they are less meaty and smaller, so there are challenges like bones and ensuring a quality tinning experience. Market research will determine if there's enough demand for these niche local fish. For now, focusing on whitefish, trout, walleye, and perch will keep me busy for the foreseeable future.

The biggest things I've learned and relearn every day are, first, it takes a village. You have to get comfortable asking for help. Instead of viewing your weaknesses or blind spots as deficiencies, understand that no one knows everything, especially not at the start. Asking for help is essential for your mental health and making incremental progress.

Another lesson is that delays are not setbacks; they're part of the process. I've had to learn patience. Things like someone going on vacation can delay your timeline significantly, but it's not a reflection of your efforts. Coming to terms with that sooner will save you a lot of stress.

The Kickstarter runs until noon on July 24th, so in promotions, I've said midnight July 23rd to give a grace period. For tin lovers, we have a tin trio and individual tin add-ons. This is the opportunity for people outside Michigan to get their hands on our products since we won't have direct-to-consumer options at launch. We also have fun swag like canvas tote bags and a "fresh coast" hat. There are also experiences like boating excursions with me, dinner clubs with private catering, and a dinner for 20 with chef Charlotte Langley. Most rewards are in the $50 to $100 range, including swag and tins.

Jared: Amazing. Marissa, I appreciate you answering all these questions. You've given us great insight into your inspiration for the project and your goals for Great Lakes Tinned Fish. I'm personally excited to try some of your tins and hopefully start carrying them at the FishNook.

Your Kickstarter runs until noon on July 24th. If anyone wants to support a wonderful U.S. entrepreneur and incredible project, keep an eye on Great Lakes Tinned Fish. Thank you for your time, Marissa.

Marissa: Thank you so much, Jared, for reaching out, for your early collaborations, for believing in this, and for the entrepreneurial work you're doing. It's been really fun getting to know you.

Marissa Fellows is bringing her cans of Smoked Whitefish to the US market this Summer. The Great Lakes Tinned Fish Kickstarter runs until noon on July 24, 2024 and gives supporters a chance to be the first to try her new line of Smoked Whitefish.

You can snag a 3-pack of Marissa's Tinned Whitefish, before it's regularly available, by pledging $50 to the project. Other options include Great Lakes swag, a boating experience lead by Captain Marissa or even a private chef experience with Charlotte Langley of Scout Canning fame.