Miami, Florida, U.S.A.-based Blue Star Foods has announced the signing of a contract with Irvine, California, U.S.A.-based Just Food For Dogs to expand its sales into the pet and dog food industry.
Blue Star Foods is a seafood supplier that has recently branched out into land-based farming, acquiring Taste of BC Aquafarms, which grows salmon in a recirculating aquaculture facility in British Columbia, Canada, and Gault Seafood, which grows soft-shell crab in Jasper County, South Carolina, U.S.A.
The 2023 contract is worth an estimated USD 4 million (EUR 3.6 million) in annual revenue for Blue Star Foods, the company announced in a press release. Blue Star said the contract comes with an annual auto-renewal option.
“We are thrilled to enter into this new relationship with Just Food For Dogs and expand into a new category for us, the pet/dog food industry. Our cod will be used as an ingredient used for their a la carte gourmet pet food,” Blue Star Foods CEO and Chairman John Keeler said.
The agreement will supply 1,150 metric tons, or 2.5 million pounds, of wild caught cod annually with Just Food For Dogs. Blue Star said the cod it sources is Marine Stewardship Council-certified and meets international criteria for being fished in a sustainable manner in line with the company's environmental, social, and governance guidelines.
Blue Star Foods Board Member Trond Ringstad said the company was "impressed" by Just Food For Dogs' business model.
“You’ve got to visit a Just Food For Dogs store, as they are very impressive with their layout and selection of high-quality dog food,” Ringstad said.
Photo courtesy of John Keeler/LinkedIn
