Warren, Rhode Island, U.S.A.-based Blount Fine Foods is bullish on sales of its soups, particularly seafood soups and chowders, as the holidays near and as the winter season as a whole progresses.
“Seafood soups are growing at a great pace. People just don’t have the quality seafood ingredients available for them, such as fresh clam meat, lobster, etc., and time to make fresh soups like ours,” Blount Chief Customer Officer and Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Bob Sewall told SeafoodSource. “The quality and convenience are hard to beat.”
Sales by value of Blount’s Clam Shack refrigerated seafood brand in particular, which is sold at Walmart and other major grocery chains across the U.S., have surged 46 percent for the year ending 5 October.
Sewall said that because seafood soups are often utilized during celebrations and holidays, he expects Clam Shack’s sales to rise as 2025 comes to a close, adding that the company’s Lobster Bisque is traditionally its best seller during the Christmas and New Year season.
Another option that has become increasingly popular is Clam Shack’s Thai Style Coconut Soup, which the company debuted in February. Sewall said the variety was created to appeal to Americans’ increasing demand for Asian fusion and to offer consumers a dairy-free seafood soup option.
In an attempt to continue growing its product portfolio, Blount, which works with a few Marine Stewardship Council-certified suppliers, is seeking more domestic supply lines for shrimp. It is already working with two Gulf-based vendors and would “love to continue to support more local efforts,” Sewall said.
Blount’s success with its soups coincides with the growing popularity of deli-prepared foods at U.S. retailers, which consumers can grab and go – typically at a more affordable rate than in restaurants. For instance, Clam Shack’s 24-ounce containers retail for USD 9.99 or USD 10.99 (EUR 8.67 or EUR 9.54), depending on the retailer.
Deli soup sales increased 7.1 percent for the year ending 5 October, per research market firm Circana, while dry soup dollar sales rose 4.4 percent.
“The deli has been a great growth area for seafood in the last few years,” Chris DuBois, the executive vice president for Circana’s Fresh Foods Practice, told SeafoodSource.
For instance, deli-prepared seafood sales grew more than 10 percent over the past year, he said.
“The supermarket deli is becoming a consumer magnet and is taking away sales from traditional foodservice outlets. I think seafood soups can do extremely well, and it’s the right store space to target,” DuBois said.
