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Schulte Maetoloa’s: from local butcher to tuna king

Mr Schulte Maetoloa grew up in a family-run butcher business, learning the skills of meat preparation and processing. When he moved to Gizo in Solomon Islands in 2007, he saw a lot of tuna being sold in the local markets. Using his butchery skills, he started making smoked tuna and tuna sausages, and this marked the beginning of Schulte Seafood Limited, officially established in early 2022.

In February 2023, Schulte's company received a big boost from the Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP) Programme, funded by the European Union and the Government of Sweden. The support provided through the PEUMP programme and the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) included a 20ft cold storage container, a vacuum sealer for packaging fish products, and two industrial fish smoking machines.

“We started off with the smoked tuna. We used a similar process we normally do with bacon and other meat. After giving out the smoked tuna to friends to taste, they really loved the quality. That’s what boosted me and the business,” he said.

This support had a huge impact. The cold storage container allowed the company to switch from using eight chest freezers to a more efficient system. This change enabled mass production to meet the growing demand and allowed the company to buy a fishing boat to catch tuna. This allowed the company to better manage costs in response to the rising prices of locally sold fish.

“It has been a struggle, but with the support and funding from the EU and the Government of Sweden through the PEUMP programme and FFA, I believe that slowly kept us moving and achieving our dreams. It had made a very big difference and helped to really start the business. With this modern machine and technology, it has greatly boosted our products” Mr. Maetoloa echoed.

With the new cold storage, the company could store more fish for processing and started selling ice blocks to local fishermen. These ice blocks, sold for $10 each, help fishermen keep their fish fresh.

The company grew from four to 14 employees to handle more processing and fishing. Demand for their products surged, with weekly orders rising from 200 to 300 packs to 800-1000 packs. Each pack, sold for SBD$25, brought in significant revenue, especially with bulk orders from stores like The Bulk Shop and Prime Fresh Seafood in Honiara.

“I told my staff that we are very lucky to have this equipment, the main one being the cool room for storage and then the other two machines, the vacuum sealers machine and the smoking machine,” he added.

According to Mr Maetoloa, the new vacuum sealer made a big difference as well. It can seal 100 packs per hour, compared to the old manual sealer’s 100 packs per day. This efficiency means they can meet the growing demand.

He added that while the industrial smoking machines are backups, customers still prefer fish smoked with firewood. Schulte also learnt new techniques during a visit to the Singapore Seafood Expo in 2023. He plans to use fish waste to produce fish food and soil feed, aiming for zero waste. He is also trialling other types of fish for future sausage production.

Despite the successes, the company still faces challenges. They need better marketing and a backup cooler room as a backup to ensure continuous operations, and more training for staff to handle equipment breakdowns is also crucial.

Schulte's journey shows a remarkable transformation, thanks to the support from the PEUMP Programme with funding from the EU and the Government of Sweden. His determination and innovative approach promise a bright future for the company, contributing to the local economy and setting an example for sustainable fish processing in Solomon Islands.

The EUR 45 million PEUMP programme promotes sustainable management and sound ocean governance for food security and economic growth while addressing climate change resilience and conservation of marine biodiversity. It follows a comprehensive approach, integrating issues related oceanic fisheries, coastal fisheries, community development, marine conservation and capacity building under one single regional action.