The freshly-caught herring is frozen immediately on board the fishing trawler to preserve optimal freshness. On arrival at the harbour the herring is directly transferred to Smokehouse de Groot, where it is thawed, using the family’s tried and tested secret process. If required, the herring first goes into the gutting machine. The next stage is to cure the herring in a brine bath. The length of curing stage is subject to the customer’s specific wishes. The herring is then strung onto spits and cold-smoked (approx. 28ºC) over beech-wood in computer-regulated smoke ovens. Here again, the length of the smoking process depends on the wishes of the individual customer. The company is equipped with smoke extinguishers that reduce the smoke impact on the environment to a minimum. As a final stage of the process, the herring is then allowed to ripen in a controlled environment, before being packed by the special packaging division. Once again, the choice of packaging is subject to the specific wishes of the individual customer.
Finally, the ‘custom-made’ products are coded, labelled and dispatched to satisfied customers.