Influential leaders in seafood – Part I

Libie Cain, Founder and Co-owner of Sassy Seafood LLC

What would you say is a key component to your business strategy as a seafood executive?

The Seafood Industry is tough – the scale is massive with many participants. It seems that nowadays everyone has their “own” label and is trying to make a go of direct marketing their catch. When structuring the business model, I was very aware of these facts. I knew that we would need to focus heavily on two important aspects: Superior Quality Sustainable Seafood coupled with a Unique Branding and Marketing strategy. Both of which we are currently hitting right on the head.

How would you sum up your philosophy as a seafood business leader?

I believe heavily that Sassy Seafood is not just about selling fish – it’s about Family. It’s about understanding how your food is getting to your table and who is responsible for putting it there. We pride ourselves in delivering a true Boat to Belly Product and ensure this by being involved intricately in every step our products journey. As commercial fishermen, we know that we are the best stewards of the Ocean. It is our duty to help keep it viable, healthy and safe for future generations. It is in this same spirit that we find ourselves using Sassy Seafood not only as a sales vehicle but as an education platform to teach consumers about wild, certified, sustainable seafood and the working fishing families that make up the Commercial Fishing Industry.

What sets Sassy Seafood apart from its competitors?

Sassy Seafood is unique in that we own and operate the very vessels which do the harvesting of all our Wild Pacific Albacore Products. We are the people who are getting you your fish. This ensures that we are delivering a superior quality product which is completely traceable and that has been harvested using only responsible methods. We are an atypical seafood company for the simple fact that at each step of our products journey you will find a woman at the helm. From the first stages of harvesting the fish, on to production, marketing, distribution and sales you will meet a variety of sassy gals with divine and extraordinary personalities. In a male dominated Industry, this is very unusual. We package our artisan “boat”ique products in cans covered with labels sporting original bomber girl art. Each artisan flavor has it’s very own one of a kind label illustrating the products’ exclusiveness. Last but not least, I hold a Board of Director’s position for the largest Albacore Tuna Association on the West Coast (Western Fishboat Owners Assoc). This gives Sassy Seafood a direct seat at the table for management and regulation, education and research for the Albacore Tuna fishery. This position guarantees that we are always at the forefront of the happenings and developments within our valuable fishery. It ensures that we will always be able to pass on the most current knowledge to our consumers.

What can we expect to see from Sassy Seafood heading into 2016?

The new year is looking bright. We will continue to grow our employee team which will allow us to branch out more with distribution and sales, especially in the wholesale arena. We always love working directly with restaurant chefs and look forward to working with even more this year. Here at Sassy Seafood we never stop dreaming – our marketing team is amazing and together, we have conjured up a variety of unique and sassy new ideas for original artwork and even some clothing. We are currently in the trial and error stages of some exciting new product development as well. We can’t tell all of our secrets, but we promise you won’t be disappointed.