Keyport’s acquisition of Vantage key to product, distribution expansion

Seattle, Wash.-based distributor Keyport LLC, which specializes in king crab, snow crab and Dungeness crab, will expand its product lines and distribution through North America with its acquisition of Redmond, Wash.-based Vantage Seafood LLC.

“We are real strong [with sourcing] in the Bering Sea, Norway, Russia and Europe, and Vantage is strong out of the Pacific Rim, with swai, tilapia, scallops and other seafood,” Mark Pedersen, co-owner and vice president of Keyport, told SeafoodSource. “It is different than what we do, and is really complementary to what we are doing.”

The acquisition greatly increases Keyport’s buying capacity and “should have a real material impact on our revenue,” Pedersen added. Pederson declined to disclose the value of the cash acquisition.

Simultaneously, Keyport is adding Keyport-branded frozen crab for supermarket distribution and expanding its frozen Keyport heat-and-serve seafood meal line. “In the past, we carried 20-pound boxes of snow crab only and now we are doing 3-pound and 5-pound boxes of snow crab for retail,” Pedersen said.

For the seafood meals, Fishermen’s Feast — a seafood boil with crab, potatoes and vegetables designed to serve two or three people — has been sold in supermarkets in North America for around a year. Now, Keyport is adding Steamed Clams and Steamed Mussels.

“It comes in an aluminum tray dish that you can add wine or water to, that can be set on the barbecue or in the oven,” Pedersen said.

The Vantage acquisition can also help Keyport expand to frozen, retail packs of tilapia, swai and scallops in the future, according to Pedersen.