The Houston, Texas, U.S.A.-based Independent Marketing Alliance (IMA), a buying and marketing network for independent foodservice distribution companies, has honored Aqua Star with its most prestigious award.
IMA members include Reinhart Food Service, Shamrock Foods, Food Services America, Maines Paper & Food Service, Merchants Food Servicem and Nicholas and Company.
IMA named the Seattle, Washington-based seafood supplier – one of the top shrimp providers in the United States, distributing USD 1.6 billion (EUR 1.5 billion) worth of shrimp annually – its recipient of its Supplier of the Year award at its annual conference.
Aqua Star was selected by an awards committee consisting of the IMA Leadership team and the IMA’s distributor members. The committee mentioned Aqua Star’s “effective Covid-related support, product innovation, collaboration, and GS1 leadership as distinguishing factors” in the granting of the award, according to IMA President and CEO Rob Mould, speaking at the annual conference.
Aqua Star has been a longstanding partner of IMA and its membership in multiple seafood categories and “is very honored and humbled to receive such recognition,” according to company president and CEO Dirk Leuenberger.
Leuenberger told SeafoodSource in April the company had shifted some focus from foodservice to retail as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. It launched a range of MicroSteam Seafood Bowls earlier this year and gained distrubtion through Amazon Fresh, Safeway, Supervalu, Giant Eagle, Giant Food, among other retailers.
Leuenberger said at the time that the company’ remained at full capacity in its production and operations.
Photo courtesy of Aqua Star
