Baja California, Mexico-based tuna-ranching firm Baja Aqua Farms (BAF) has acquired Baja Marine Foods (BMF), a fishing and processing company also based in Baja California.
Founded in 1999, vertically integrated BAF conducts year-round ranching to produce fresh and frozen sashimi-grade Pacific bluefin tuna “under the most rigorous standards, sought out by top chefs and supermarket chains around the globe for its consistent quality and year-round availability.”
The firm exports to retail and foodservice customers under the Bluefiná brand, which is aiming to gain greater customer recognition around the globe.
“We have the wagyu of tuna. Let’s offer that [at steakhouses] – a wagyu steak and a wagyu tuna. We just have to get it in people’s mouths,” Rex Ito, the president and owner of Prime Time Seafood, which manages sales and logistics for Bluefiná, told SeafoodSource at this year’s Seafood Expo North America.
Founded in 2010, BMF produces fishmeal, fish oil, and frozen seafood products from sustainably sourced pelagic species sold for human consumption or as ingredients to the global aquaculture and pet food industries. BMF owns two fishing vessels and a processing plant with capacity to process up to 450 tons of products daily.
The acquisition cements BAF’s position as the “premier vertically integrated bluefin tuna rancher in the Americas while enhancing the company’s end-to-end supply chain traceability – from ocean to plate,” the company said.
Additionally, the acquisition allows BAF the opportunity to enter the marine ingredients sector through the production of premium fishmeal and fish oil.
“This acquisition strengthens our ability to deliver the highest-quality bluefin tuna to our customers around the world in a sustainable and environmentally responsible manner,” BAF CEO Manuel Vazquez said.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
