Press
Waypoints Forum speaker: February 7, 2020
Over the last 30 years, Emily Lane, the owner of Blue Lobster Consulting, has accumulated a vast amount of experience and knowledge of the seafood industry. In 2020, she partnered with the Island Institute to deliver a talk on addressing challenges and finding solutions to further the sustainability of Maine's island, coastal communities and fishing industry. Emily believes that it's important to use education, transparency, networking and consensus building to meet the challenges of her community as well as the various challenges of her passion, the fish industry. Watch Emily's leadership talk now.
Working Waterfront: November 21, 2019
Emily Lane is an unassuming groundbreaker. But groundbreaker she is.
For years, Lane did seafood marketing on Vinalhaven, work she didn’t plan to make a career of, but living on an island, there it was. And in doing so, she earned respect in that male-dominated sector.
Now, on being elected as chairwoman of the Island Institute’s board of trustees, she is the first islander to hold the post.
Maine Public Radio podcast - April 3, 2018
From lobsters to blueberries, candles to composite wood products, aircraft parts to craft beer, Maine companies are exporting their wares to every corner of the planet — not only finding new markets, but also defining the Maine “brand” around the world.
What are the opportunities for Maine companies in the near-term future and beyond? How can a niche company enter the international market successfully? This Maine Calling program ties-in with Maine Public reporter Jennifer Mitchell’s series “It Can Get There From Here.”
Island Journal 2017
Without the work that connects lobster with customers around the country and world, Maine’s iconic seafood would be a local, seasonal snack. And without that effort, the iconic lobsterman—who in 2016 shared in $533 million in sales—would be a quaint and anachronistic figure, perhaps reduced to part-time work.
Thanks to people like Emily Lane, though, lobster is in steady and ever-growing demand, from California to Korea, from cruise ships to haute cuisine restaurants, in ready-to-microwave ravioli to still-squirming in the crate at a beachfront cookout.
Landings-Maine Lobstermen’s Association - July 2, 2017
Part of the set of skills Lane brings to her varied positions is the ability to communicate among different cultures and levels. “I will bring buyers and distributors to Maine to educate them and have them experience the fishery firsthand,” she explained. That desire to educate also extends to Maine lobstermen. “It’s a challenge to get people to realize that what happens in the market affects their price. It’s always market-driven. It’s been hard to get [lobstermen] to understand the volatility of the market,” Lane said.
“I like to think outside of the box,” she added.
Maine Biz May 1, 2017
Exporting seafood: With perishable products, time is money
While everyone agrees seafood shows, trade missions, and networking are key to building markets, Lane takes relationship-building to a new level when she also brings international chefs and distributors to Maine.
“I take them out on a lobster boat and to processing facilities and buying stations where they can see lobsters being purchased and held and shipped. Then I take them to restaurants so they can see how lobsters are served in the United States,” Lane says.
Lane then takes them to Vinalhaven, her hometown, “so they can get the full picture of the industry and the communities lobstering supports. It's about selling Maine, selling the sustainability of the Maine coast.”
Maine Biz- July 22, 2013
Recently, the council and lobstering stakeholders collaborated to bring a small group of South Korean chefs over to learn more about Maine's lobster industry, says Lane. The chefs went out lobstering, attended workshops and cooking classes and toured lobster processing facilities. Asia and Central America are important emerging global markets for Maine lobster, and giving buyers a connection to the state's lobster fishery is invaluable, Lane says.
June 2013
Thanks to the long term efforts of the Maine Lobster Promotion Council and Food Export USA - Northeast, four Korean chefs from high end resorts in South Korea and their distributor were able to visit Maine to learn more about lobsters while making many business connections.