The Conch Podcast features interviews
with the most inspiring women in the world of seafood.
Join Julie Kuchepatov,
founder of Seafood and Gender Equality (SAGE),
as she interviews women striving
to succeed in the sector, as well as those already making an impact,
and the challenges they face -
all while working to improve
the environmental and social responsibility
of the planet’s most incredible food source - seafood!
Fishermen in Maine were leaving their jobs because they weren’t making enough money to make ends meet. In the newest episode of the Conch Podcast, we hear how one woman started a seafood company to support fishermen in a time of need.
Julie is joined by Jen Levin, Founder, President, and CEO of True Fin, a seafood company on a mission to sustain people and livelihoods in the Gulf of Maine.
Episode Transcript
Episode Guide
:00 Intro
01:16 Looking to escape the big city of DC, Jen moves to rural Maine and starts off her 17 year career working with fishermen and seafood
05:30 The genesis story of True Fin, Jen’s seafood company: Her journey takes her to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute where she builds markets for Gulf of Maine seafood and supports fishermen who are leaving their jobs en masse due to the high cost of doing business
10:51 How a girl from rural Wisconsin became a fish buyer and navigated the trial and error of working with an incredible, yet highly perishable product like seafood
14:42 The pandemic hit True Fin hard. Jen and her team managed to navigate this perilous time by keeping one goal in mind–continue to support fishermen by buying their fish no matter what
18:48 Act now, think later. How crises can force you to keep going
22: 27 True Fin is a business on a mission to provide a product that sustains people and fishermen’s livelihoods
30:36 True Fin works closely with fishermen to share innovative techniques that guarantee seafood’s quality, longer shelf life, and better taste
34:46 Jen is learning from the next generation of women about the power of the language we use in perpetuating assumptions, even her own, about women
42:13 Jen’s advice for a young woman in seafood: Be authentic
Resources:
Check out @truefinseafood on Instagram and at truefinseafood.com
Make sure to recommend this episode to anyone you think who might care about the future of our ocean and women working in the sector.
The Conch Podcast series is a program of Seafood and Gender Equality (SAGE) and made possible by generous funding from The David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Audio production, engineering, editing, mixing, and sound design by Crystal Sanders-Alvarado for Seaworthy. Original music provided by Satan’s Pilgrims.
The Conch Podcast is a program of Seafood and Gender Equality (SAGE).
Audio production, engineering, editing, mixing, and sound design by Crystal Sanders-Alvarado for Seaworthy.
Theme music: “Dilation” by Satan's Pilgrims
Funding generously provided by
