Icy Waters and American Unagi were declared the winners of the 2025 Seafood Excellence Awards at Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Bedford, New Hampshire, U.S.A.-based Icy Waters won the Best New Retail Product award for its Atlantic Salmon with a Guinness Sweet Honey Mustard Melt & Pank Crumb, created in collaboration with Good Fish Co. of Ireland. Featuring the iconic flavor of Guinness beer, Icy Waters’ Atlantic salmon is available for both retail and foodservice packaging.
“We entered this kind of at the last minute. We did it for visibility purposes and just being a credible supplier to our customers.” Randy Lavault, a partner at Icy Waters, told SeafoodSource. “We are honored. It’s a small company. We’re fortunate to have partners that we trust. I’m honestly lost for words.”
Waldoboro, Maine, U.S.A.-based American Unagi won the Best New Foodservice Product award for its Gluten Free Eel Kabayaki Fillet. American Unagi hand selects each fillet from its eels, which are raised without any added hormones or antibiotics, and then grills them with all-natural, gluten-free Kabayaki sauce.
"I'm honored," American Unagi Founder Sara Rademaker told SeafoodSource. "From starting this from my basement 10 years ago to having walked the show to doing our first booth last year – this is huge."
Judging of the finalists took place at Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on 16 March. This year’s judges were Stop and Shop Vice President Paul Chapman, C&S Wholesale Grocers Procurement Supervisor Kimberly Price, and The Cheesecake Factory Senior Procurement Category Manager Josue Avila.
Of the 68 products entered into the Seafood Expo North American New Product Showcase – which highlights new products, condiments, and dishes launched in the last year – 11 were selected as finalists based on their uniqueness and appropriateness to the market, taste profile, market potential, convenience, nutritional value, and originality.
The winners, as well as all 68 of the products entered into the competition, can be viewed at the New Product Showcase in the Wave Makers' Zone (Booth #3165) through the end of the show on 18 March.
Produced by Diversified, the Seafood Excellence Awards is the sister competition of the Seafood Excellence Global Awards, which feature products across the globe. That competition will be held this year at Seafood Expo Global, which will take place in Barcelona, Spain, from 6 to 8 May. Diversified also hosts the Seafood Excellence Asia Awards competition at its Seafood Expo Asia in Singapore, taking place from 10 to12 September. [Editor’s note: Diversified also owns and operates SeafoodSource.]
