White House to serve Maine trout tonight

At the White House this evening, guests attending the state dinner for French President François Hollande will have the opportunity to try smoked trout from Maine.

According to U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree’s office, the smoked trout comes from Ducktrap River of Maine on Belfast. It will be the only Maine product served at the state dinner, which will feature food from 13 states.

I called up Jeff Johnson, Ducktrap’s national sales manager, to get his take on the news.

Tthe Ducktrap crew — all 120 employees — are “honored and thrilled” that the company’s smoked trout is being served at Tuesday evening’s state dinner at the White House, Johnson said.

“It’s really thrilling to see who will be eating this stuff tonight,” he said. “We’re all excited.”

Certainly the news is a nice coup from a marketing perspective, but Johnson said it’s also important because it encourages Ducktrap’s employees and reinforces the company’s efforts to produce a premium product.

“We have a lot of discerning customers and are thrilled to have the White House among them,” he said.

This isn’t the first time Ducktrap’s products have been served in the White House. The company’s premium smoked salmon has been served at White House holiday parties in the past, Johnson said.

I’ll make sure to follow up with Johnson, but won’t be surprised if Ducktrap receives a sudden flood of orders from Paris.

Whit Richardson

About Whit Richardson

Whit Richardson is Business Editor at the Bangor Daily News. He blogs about Maine business, entrepreneurs and the economy.