2000 BC, Egyptians began to have fish surplus! Instead of a fire sale locally, they salted it! Preserved fish enabled trading distances to increase, and profits soared! Salt, the ancient business booster! They not only traded the fish, but also the salted fish became a staple part of the diet of the people who worked on the pyramids, and was a key part of the food supply for long journeys. This made salt a strategic commodity.

Salted fish: The ancient world's first "long-distance delivery" service.