North American seafood supplier Cooke Seafood USA is allocating additional capabilities, investments, and hires at its Suffolk, Virgina, U.S.A.-based Wanchese Fish Company operation, the firm announced on 14 November.
Purchased by Cooke in 2015, the Wanchese Fish Company facility has quickly become an important asset to the overall enterprise and “is providing new growth opportunities with expanded corporate roles and production responsibilities,” the supplier said in a statement.
Cooke said it plans on hiring approximately 70 additional employees at the Suffolk-based facility over the next three years and will create several new positions in the process, including those involved in corporate operations for Cooke Seafood USA and production jobs for new retail seafood production lines. Overall, the Wanchese Fish Company expansion will cost Cooke USD 2.8 million (EUR 2.4 million), according to the company’s press release.
“We are excited to further expand our operations here in Suffolk as we solidify our position as a global seafood leader. This new investment will enhance our current capabilities but also provide us with the opportunity for future growth,” Cooke Seafood USA CEO Ross Butler said.
Since it was purchased by Cooke three years ago, the Wanchese Fish Company has invested millions in its Suffolk facility to accommodate increased seafood volumes flowing in from Cooke’s family of affiliated companies based all around the world. The company’s exported products through the Port of Virginia have risen as a result, as have the volume of imports coming into the facility from Cooke’s South American businesses.
“Cooke’s investment in Wanchese and in Suffolk generates a tremendous amount of pride for our entire community,” Suffolk, Virginia Mayor Linda T. Johnson said. “It is wonderful to see the Suffolk facility and the people employed there become such a valuable asset to Cooke Seafood’s global footprint.”
A family-owned, vertically integrated sea farming and wild fishery corporation, Cooke Seafood USA is headquartered in Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick, Canada. The company is one of the top seafood suppliers in North America, according to SeafoodSource’s annual rankings.
