THE COMPANY
The three partners met back in 2007, initiating an informal partnership to catch seafood in apnea for commercial purposes, due to the already extensive experience in spearfishing and the knowledge of this market´s potential.
In 2014, after 7 years of extensive work in the water, studying , dedication and a consolidated bet in the local market, the company owned 3 boats for this activity. At that time, the first experiences in exporting live seafood to USA and Canada where very successful , and the quality of the product led our customers to ask us about the possibility to export fresh fish.
The 2015 seafood season was profitable enough to invest in our own facilities, so the exporting of both seafood and fresh fish would be possible. The TZT – Flying Fish Azores, Lda. is created, with the head office in Terceira Island , Azores, which, as the name intends to symbolize, is dedicated to export fresh products from the Azorean sea. We operate in the two “Lotas” (Portuguese nomination for the Institution where the mandatory first sell is carried out in auction) in Terceira and Flores Islands (where we work with fish, shellfish and octopus). We operate occasionally in São Jorge and Pico Islands where we work mainly with shellfish and octopus.
Our clients, either restaurants, wholesalers, retailers or public in general, seek freshness and durability of the products we commercialize. Our compromise, our mission, is to deliver the best products with the quality that characterizes us, satisfying our customers in the best way possible according to their specific needs.
HARVESTING SHELFISH AND OCTUPUS
We, and our direct collaborators, are responsible for obtaining most of the shellfish we commercialize. This means that these extremely sensitive animals are caught and conditioned according to our procedures, which leads to an excellent product.
We operate with 3 sea ribs especially adapted to this activity. They economical and fast and meet some important specifications:
-
Max: a 5.40m RIB with 115hp. Mainly used to buy shellfish caught in other islands by our collaborators, in order to ship it in the next day. It is also used to support our own harvesting activity for limpets, barnacles, octopus, sea urchins, slipper lobster…
-
Black Ops: a 4,60m RIB. Extremely economical, with a 40hp engine, allows an amazingly low-cost activity around Terceira Island.
-
Xiva: a 4,50m RIB with a 30hp engine. This is a secondary boat, used a secondary boat when an extra team is necessary to face the client´s demands.
This activity is conditioned by the weather. However, we have great success obtaining fresh product and having it shipped within 24 hour, with obvious advantages for our clients.
FISHING ACTIVITY
We operate mainly in both “Lotas” in Terceira Island. We also work in Flores Island whenever necessary. We give priority to fish caught by boats during that same day / night (24hours at most).
All products are acquired according to the customer’s specifications, including size and weight. If the client wishes to have a regular supply of some species, he / she should inform us, as this facilitates a contract with fishermen. This is the best way to get fresh and regular products.