Hybrid Fisherman and Tiptopp: The New Standard in Sustainable Fish Products

Tiptopp × Vegan Fisherman: The New Standard in Sustainable Fish Products

Hybrid Fisherman: The New Standard in Sustainable Fish Products

50% Fish. 50% Plant-Based. 100% Sustainable.

The Challenge: ‘Supposedly Sustainable’ Is Not Good Enough

The Dutch love fish: kibbeling, salmon, and fish fries are top favorites. Retailers often offer MSC-certified cod, which looks sustainable on paper. But appearances are deceiving: this fish is caught in Iceland, shipped to the Netherlands, then mostly sent to China for processing due to lower labor costs, and finally returns to the Netherlands to be packaged.

A convoluted chain with a massive ecological footprint, while carrying a sustainability label. It is an unsustainable process with a supposedly sustainable stamp. NGOs such as Greenpeace and Wakker Dier have been warning about this deception for years. Sustainability must never be greenwashing.

Our Solution: Local, Hybrid & Double Sustainable

Hybrid Fisherman and Tiptopp introduce a revolutionary hybrid fish product:

50% fish from local sources (residual streams of whiting, haddock, and salmon)
50% plant-based
100% sustainably produced in the Netherlands

We use fish that would otherwise be lost: bycatch and residual streams that are normally processed into animal feed, fishmeal, or discarded. Through innovative techniques, we upgrade the value of these raw materials into a full-fledged food product.

Facts about Residual Streams: Whiting & Haddock

Each year, an estimated 50,000 tons of whiting and up to 100,000 tons of haddock are discarded in the North Sea – as bycatch or due to undersized fish.
Discards represent 40–50% of the total catch, a structural issue that contributes to food waste and biodiversity loss.
The total discard in the North Sea amounts to between 500,000 and 880,000 tons of fish annually, with whiting and haddock heavily represented.

(Sources: FAO, ResearchGate, IMARES Wageningen UR)

Hybrid Fisherman breaks this cycle and transforms rejected fish into a sustainable, high-quality product.

People, Planet & Profit: Tiptopp’s 3 Ps

People

40% of our employees come from disadvantaged backgrounds and are given a safe, meaningful workplace.
Craftsmanship from Spakenburg and Harderwijk forms our foundation. Fish knowledge passed down from father to son.
Fair work, social impact, and transparency are central to us.

Planet

Up to 70% lower CO₂ emissions compared to conventional fish chains through local processing.
No overfishing, no additional fishing pressure – only residual streams and bycatch.
No unnecessary transport: from sea to factory to retail, all within the Netherlands.
Fully aligned with the UN 2030 Agenda SDGs
– SDG 12: Responsible Consumption & Production
– SDG 13: Climate Action
– SDG 14: Life Below Water

Profit

A new growth category: hybrid fish products are more versatile than fully plant-based alternatives.
Price competitive: on average 15–25% below regular fish prices.
Consumers notice no difference in taste – but they do in sustainability.
Plug & play scalability via our IFS-certified factory with MAP packaging technology.

The Market: A New Category

Hybrid fish products are more than just an alternative – they represent a new, distinctive category on the shelf. They appeal to a broader audience than vegan alone: flexitarians, eco-conscious shoppers, and traditional fish lovers.

This is the moment for retailers to choose scalable sustainability with direct impact.

An Invitation to Retail

Choose impact. Choose flavor. Choose truly sustainable.

With Tiptopp × Vegan Fisherman you offer:

Honest fish, locally produced
A transparent chain without greenwashing
A proven production partner with B2B experience in the Benelux
A distinctive product with a future

Retailers who collaborate with us make a statement: sustainability without compromise – social, circular, and profitable.

Our Impact in Numbers

CO₂ reduction: Up to 70% fewer emissions than conventional fish products
Residual stream valorization: hundreds of thousands of kilos of whiting and haddock from discard streams get a second life
Social impact: 4 out of 10 colleagues work with a disability — true inclusivity
Market reach: We supply almost all major salad manufacturers in the Netherlands and Belgium weekly

50% fish. 50% plant-based. 100% sustainable.

Closing: The Future Is Now

We waste less, produce smarter, and make the circular food chain a reality. Our hybrid products are proof that taste, sustainability, and profit can perfectly go hand in hand.

“With every bite we lower our ecological footprint and build a fairer, healthier, and more sustainable food system – for people, the planet, and economic prosperity.”

Hybrid Fisherman and Tiptopp – Moving Forward: From Residual Stream to Revolution

At a time when sustainability is no longer a choice but a necessity, Tiptopp and Hybrid Fisherman have joined forces to create a completely new category in the food industry: hybrid fish products. What began as a collaboration between two innovative parties has grown into a promising concept that not only responds to consumer demand but also to the urgent needs of our planet.

Tiptopp was founded in 2017 with a clear mission: to create value from what others overlook. Drawing from generations of fishery expertise in Spakenburg and Harderwijk, the founders translated their knowledge into an innovative, sustainable production line. With an IFS-certified factory and exclusive partnerships with nearly all major salad manufacturers in the Netherlands and Belgium, Tiptopp has proven that residual streams are not waste — they are raw materials for the future. Weekly, we supply fresh semi-finished products to partners active in Dutch and Belgian retail, proving that sustainable processing at scale is possible.

Our partnership with Hybrid Fisherman is a natural extension of this mission. Together we develop hybrid products made of 50% plant-based proteins and 50% high-quality fish residual streams such as salmon, whiting, and haddock. The result? A tasty product that is 100% sustainable, without concessions on quality, experience, or nutritional value.

We use bycatch and residual streams — fish that in traditional supply chains are often discarded or downgraded into fishmeal, animal feed, or waste. In the North Sea alone, an estimated 50,000 tons of whiting and up to 100,000 tons of haddock are discarded annually, while total discards can reach nearly 880,000 tons per year. Tiptopp succeeds in processing these fish into high-quality, locally produced food products. In doing so, we break through the ‘fuel-feed-food-pharma’ pyramid from the bottom up, lifting forgotten fish species to the top of the value chain: human consumption.

At the same time, our hybrid products provide a powerful response to the failure of so-called ‘sustainable’ fish chains. Take cod, for example: today it is often caught in Iceland, frozen, shipped to the Netherlands, then exported to China for processing due to lower costs, before returning to Europe for packaging and sale — with an MSC label attached. Sustainable on paper, ecological madness in practice. This is exactly the system we aim to break. We process fish locally, on Dutch soil, without unnecessary transport or intermediaries. What we deliver is not only tasty but also traceable, fair, and truly sustainable.

What makes us truly unique is the combination of scalability, product quality, and social impact. 40% of our workforce consists of people distanced from the labor market. At Tiptopp, they receive a permanent workplace, training, guidance, and appreciation. We believe in an inclusive organization where every talent counts — People, Planet, Profit in practice, not just on paper.

Our products are more than a vegan alternative. We appeal to a wider audience: flexitarians, eco-conscious consumers, and traditional fish lovers. The taste is authentic, the origin local, and the footprint minimal. In tastings, consumers hardly notice any difference compared to regular fish products — but the impact is much greater. Retailers can include our hybrid fish in their standard range and stand out with a product that is sustainable without compromise, and on average 15–25% below the price of conventional fish.

This new category is still in its infancy, but the growth potential is enormous. We combine food safety, innovation, and sustainability with craftsmanship and tradition. We are ready to scale the market — in both foodservice and retail — with an offer that aligns with the UN 2030 Agenda goals and the demands of modern consumers.

Tiptopp and Hybrid Fisherman show that it can be done differently. Not tomorrow, but today.

We waste less. We produce smarter. We give forgotten fish a new life. And together, we build a food system where flavor, health, profit, and responsibility go hand in hand.