Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.-based Fishpeople Seafood has terminated its lease with the Port of Toledo, Oregon, attributing the move to the company’s rapid growth.
The seafood meal-kit maker will close its Toledo operations this month after five years in the port, the Newport News Times reported.
“Fishpeople was founded with the mission of changing our relationship with the sea and the seafood industry as a whole. We are extremely grateful to the Toledo community that played such a pivotal role in our early years and the launch of several of our ethically-sourced seafood products,” the company said in a statement provided to Newport News Times.
“We must now scale our manufacturing capabilities in concert with our growing product portfolio in order to meet the demands of our consumers and continue to support our growth in a way that is sustainable for our people and our planet. We will continue production through October and will be working closely with NW Oregon Works on services to support our team during this transition,” Fishpeople added.
A spokesperson for Fishpeople declined to provide further details to SeafoodSource on closing its Toledo operation or the company’s future plans.
The Port of Toledo will “seek out a suitable tenant that can make the best use of the building which also houses the port office,” the port told Newport News Times.
Fishpeople has expanded rapidly after it secured USD 12 million (EUR 11 million) in financing in 2017. At the time, Fishpeople sold its product in more than 5,000 retail stores in the U.S., including Safeway/Albertsons and Whole Foods.
The supplier also rolled out three new flavors of its Wildly Delicious Seafood Kits at Seafood Expo North America in Boston, Massachusetts earlier this year.
Photo courtesy of Fishpeople
