LoveTheWild, a Colorado-based supplier of freshly frozen seafood kits featuring farmed fish, has expanded its contract with Amazon-owned Whole Foods Market in a new arrangement that will see the company’s offerings hitting the shelves of nearly all of the retailer’s 420-plus stores.
Whole Foods decided to greenlight nationwide distribution of LoveTheWild’s seafood kits following a successful 2016 trial run of the provider’s products, which took place in select stores throughout the southern U.S. region.
Three LoveTheWild kits will soon be available in those existing Whole Foods’ storefronts in the southern United States as well as in new locations from coast to coast, including: Striped Bass with Roasted Red Pepper Almond Sauce; Rainbow Trout with Salsa Verde; and the new, Whole Foods-exclusive Salmon with Coconut Red Curry, which features fish sourced from Norway’s Kvarøy Fiskeoppdrett, a third-generation family-owned farm that falls under the Blue Circle Foods umbrella.
For LoveTheWild, which calls itself a “champion of sustainable, delicious fish," the broadening of its partnership with Whole Foods sends a message that the company’s mission is resonating with the market.
“With LoveTheWild, we sought to create delicious, healthy and easy-to-prepare meals that people can feel good about – both in terms of how the fish is raised and how it tastes,” LoveTheWild’s CEO and co-founder Jacqueline Claudia said. “The response of Whole Foods Market – and its customers who fell in love with the brand – is an exciting testament to what we’re offering.”
“Expanding our reach in step with Whole Foods Market is important for our brand and for the aquaculture industry overall,” Claudia said. “This puts our products, and in turn responsibly farmed fish, in front of an even larger audience. It demonstrates what good aquaculture is capable of, and it’s important to celebrate the farms that are investing to grow healthy fish and drive the change we need. Diversifying palates and changing opinions about farmed fish is a part of our mission, so as we grow, we see products like responsibly-farmed salmon as a familiar entry point for new customers – leading them to try our other species of fish and flavors they may not be as familiar with.”
Whole Foods Market Senior Category Leader of Seafood Elliott Myers expressed excitement at the prospect of offering more of its customers access to LoveTheWild’s seafood products.
"We're thrilled that even more Whole Foods Market shoppers will have access to LoveTheWild products," Myers said. "We know our customers care about sustainable sourcing, high quality and convenience when shopping in our stores. LoveTheWild not only provides this, but they continue to innovate with every new offering."
