When Lucas Dansie and partner Steph set out to open their new seafood store in the Northern Beaches, they weren’t expecting the sheer amount of red tape that came along with it. Persevering and giving it their all with their ‘go get em’ attitude, they opened the doors to North Shore Seafood Co. in April 2022.
Tell us about yourself and your business.
North Shore Seafood Co. is a fresh, locally-sourced, artisan seafood store located in Burdell, at the North Shore Marketplace. We wanted our store to be all heart and soul and most of all quality. We specialise in wild-caught, sustainable seafood from our local fishermen and women, filling a gap we saw in the local market, particularly in the Northern Beaches Area. And we strongly believe provenance of your seafood is very important, with a lot of the suppliers of our fish and prawns being longtime friends!
I have been involved in the seafood industry since childhood and have experience in every aspect – from catching, to cooking, to selling it and have been managing the unloading of trawlers in Townsville at the wharf for the past 12 years.
Stephanie was thrust into the seafood life, coming from a career in Dermal Skin Therapy, I threw her in the deep end and she has absolutely swum. Her attention to detail is admirable and her ethic and quality control is second to none. Watching Steph progress and build her knowledge has been wonderful and she has made me very proud. I couldn’t have done it without her.
What has been the most challenging aspect of being a business owner?
The hurdles of opening our shop were pretty intense, continuing to stay positive and motivate each other was hard at times but we made it!
The food industry offers up some unique challenges with a variety of council hurdles and building regulations. The list of red tape was endless, very daunting and more than anything, exhausting.
Where we are now feels like home and just having the patience to let it grow, despite wanting it all done now! We are absolutely thrilled with what we have achieved so far.
Another challenge has been learning social media! Steph’s been doing a great job, it’s a fulltime job in itself especially continually thinking of new content and staying relevant in an ever-changing element.
What is a fun fact about yourself?
I had my first sea trip at 13 years old! As I mentioned before, I have been in the fishing industry my whole life, as my family owned trawlers and my mum worked at a seafood processing facility where I grew up in Tin Can Bay.
I also love a good project having built my last two boats, the first was a six-metre aluminum which I ventured up the Cape with, and my current one, a 10m aluminum beast which we use to take the family out venturing at the Reef.
What is the best piece of career or business advice you ever received?
I would describe myself as a fairly chilled person with the ability to take things in stride and handle heavy workloads and hectic situations. In saying that, when it comes to business things do get thrown at you, whether that be red tape and bureaucracy or negativity from people around you, and so the saying “Every brick they throw at you, use it to stand on”, takes on more and more meaning! Progress is a slow process…
Going forward, what is next on the cards for your business?
Progression, we are forever growing our product selection so further equipment expansions will be on the cards.
We also have some cool ideas floating around for seafood dinner nights, where we can teach people how to prepare and cook good seafood.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support along the way and the loyal customers we have already. The Northern Beaches has shown us an amazing community and we appreciate all the people who have backed us thus far!
Images supplied.
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