South Africa’s Oceanfresh on Monday announced that it landed a deal with Walmart in which it will supply hake fillets to 500 of the retailer’s U.S. stores beginning in October 2011.
The hake is harvested off the coast of Southern Africa in a sustainable, environmentally responsible manner according to the World’s Wildlife Fund’s Southern Africa Sustainable Sourcing Initiative.
Oceanfresh is among the first South African companies to supply seafood to Walmart’s U.S. operations. As a result of the new partnership with the world’s largest retailer, Oceanfresh has expanded its production capabilities in South Africa and added more than 200 new jobs.
Oceanfresh is the seafood division of Lonrho, a London-based private investment firm that focuses solely on Africa.
“Lonrho understands the importance of responsible fishing policies and prides itself on delivering the best quality products that are wild caught and from well managed and sustainable sources,” said David Lenigas, the company’s executive chairman. “Lonrho’s Oceanfresh division has been diligent in working with the World Wildlife Fund’s sustainable sourcing program to ensure that fish stocks are properly managed and that catch quotas are within sustainable levels to maintain wild fish stocks for future generations.”
