San Francisco, California, U.S.A.-based CleanFish – the import and aquaculture division of Wulf’s Fish – has made a “significant investment” in online retailer Seatopia.
Marina Del Ray, California-headquartered Seatopia is a direct-to-consumer platform offering farmed seafood to consumers throughout the U.S. The company has created a number of programs that offers “best-in-class” aquaculture products delivered via shipping that has carbon offsets to make it carbon neutral, and packaging that is “eco-friendly” and free of polystyrene foam.
Wulf’s Fish purchased CleanFish in 2018 via a holding company called Sea 2050, which both companies now fall under. The company was initially an organic seafood supplier for U.S. foodservice accounts, with the acquisition serving as a way for Wulf's Fish to expand into retail.
Five year later, Wulf’s Fish has built upon its retail distribution with additional purchases like its acquisition of BerkShore in May 2022 as part of its effort to become a USD 100 million (EUR 91 million) company by 2025.
Seatopia and Wulf’s Fish have already had a working relationship with one another – Wulf’s has performed the hand-cutting and packaging of Seatopia’s product line since 2020, the company said.
According to CleanFish, Seatopia has been working to build a market for sustainable aquaculture products through education on topics like multitrophic aquaculture, land-based recirculating aquaculture systems, and transitioning from fishmeal-based aquafeed to alternative proteins. The company also recently formed a partnership with Ocean Wise’s “Seaforestation” project. With the partnership, Seatopia has committed to planting kelp with every order for its seafood.
"Seatopia's unique focus on certified sustainable farmed seafood, combined with their commitment to regenerative practices, makes them an ideal partner for CleanFish," CleanFish CEO Mike Moniz said. "We are excited to support Seatopia's mission to build a sustainable and transparent seafood supply chain that benefits both consumers and the planet."
Cleanfish said the investment in Seatopia will help the company expand its direct-to-consumer sales of aquaculture products.
“The move has brought new opportunities for vertical integration, research, and collaboration within the aquaculture industry,” it said.
Photo courtesy of Seatopia
