Seattle Fish Co. is excited to announce we are now carrrying a delicious new cured meats and charcuterie line: River Bear American Meats. Not only does River Bear offer an exciting portfolio of products, but it is also a Denver-based company owned by our friend Chef Justin Brunson (Old Major).
If you had the opportunity dine at Old Major, you know that Chef Brunson was always big on high-quality, locally sourced meat — it was even hanging in a window near the kitchen for customers to get a sneak peek of what might end up on their plate.
Brunson used that same approach to start his new venture. River Bear uses old-world techniques to make new world fresh and cured meats, many of which are sourced from family farms right here in Colorado. All River Bear pork products are:
-antibiotic-free
-hormone-free
-made with no junk and no fillers
“It took me forty years, but I’ve found my life’s calling. This is what I love doing,” he states. “It’s more than just a meat company; it’s almost more of a lifestyle brand” Brunson told Westword Magazine.
We’re here for it, Chef.
*Seattle Fish Company is proud to carry River Bear American Meats full charcuterie line & bacon. Ask your Seattle Fish Company Sales Rep for more information and to place an order today!
River Bear American Meats Charcuterie
We have two heritage breed lines of fresh and cured antibiotic-free (ABF) pork products including premium 100% Berkshire pork. Our fresh and cured beef products consist of our premium Wagyu line and Black Angus. All our meats are smoked over real hardwood grown in our home state – Colorado.
Charcuterie line includes: Spanish Chorizo, Spanish Lomo, Pancetta, Guanciale and more.
River Bear American Meats Bacon
Dry-rubbed and cured with our proprietary blend of herbs and spices, then smoked with pecan and peach wood.
Safety is one of Seattle Fish Company’s cornerstones. It’s even written on the walls throughout our facility; a visual reminder of just how vital our adherence to daily safety practices are. Our work around safety – both food safety (what we do to keep our products safe) and environmental safety (what we do to keep our people and customers safe) – represents our commitment to our customers, partners and community. In fact, safety is a focus for Seattle Fish Company and serves as a fundamental belief that helps us make decisions and guide behavior.
Our environmental safety program helps to reduce injuries, increase productivity, improve turnover, and even raise employee morale. Seattle Fish Co.’s food safety program is among the top in the nation, and also what separates Seattle Fish Company from the rest of the pack. But don’t just take our word for it – Seattle Fish is one of only 38 companies in Colorado, and the only seafood company, to have earned certification as a Level 3 SQF (Safe Quality Food) facility.
This level of safety doesn’t happen by accident, we have made a conscious decision to invest in raising the bar on safety including an entire team dedicated solely to making sure we follow (and exceed) industry food safety standards and personal safety practices.
Today we’re talking with Ken Boyer, Food Safety Quality Assurance Manager & SQF Practitioner, and employee of Seattle Fish Company for over 20 years.
Ken Boyer, Food Safety Quality Assurance Manager & SQF Practitioner
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about what you and your team do at Seattle Fish Company?
A: In a nutshell, we work to ensure that Seattle Fish Company is providing the highest-quality and safest product possible to our customers. We accomplish this by diligently following a seafood HAACP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) plan regulated by the FDA. In addition to following our HAACP plan, we’ve self-created many SOP’s, policies, and procedures on what our employees need to do and follow every day to ensure we are sending out only the best product. My Safety team is responsible for conducting daily safety audit checklists that consist of about 15-20 line items, including checking for proper rotation, and ensuring that all products are labeled and binned correctly in our warehouse. Perhaps our most important work is training and educating our staff on food safety and personal safety standards.
Q:What does a “typical” day look like for you? What kind of things are you working on or trying to solve?
A: As you may have guessed, there is no typical day. Every day is different and that’s one of the things I love about my job. On any given day, I’ll be doing a lot of monitoring and verifying. This means that I’m reviewing all of our quality and safety checks from the day prior, and ensuring that anything that needed to be resolved has been completed. I also make sure that SOP’s are being followed, so I complete daily warehouse walks and look for opportunities for improvement throughout the plant. There’s a lot of problem-solving and quick action needed. In addition to my daily work in the office, I sit on a number of safety-related boards and committees and have been chair of the Rocky Mountain Food Safety Conference.
I have a real passion for safety and enjoy working with other leaders in this space to promote safety across our industry, annd run a HACCP class on the weekends to certify others in best practices. I’m one of two instructors inside the state of Colorado licensed to teach this class.
Q: Has your role evolved since the COVID-19 pandemic? How so?
A: Yes! The Safety team has always done a great job of monitoring any industry or state changes to policy, but now we are also constantly following the CDC for recommended changes related to COVID. We also take and record temperatures daily and monitor for the correct use of PPE and social distancing throughout the facility.
Taking temperatures and daily monitoring / using PPE is not always easy or convenient, but our employees and customers appreciate the work we are doing proactively to keep people safe.
Q:What additional precautions has Seattle Fish Co. implemented during the COVID outbreak? Can customers feel confident that Seattle Fish Co. is prepared and taking every necessary safety precaution to keep them safe?
A: We developed and have been diligently using a crisis plan, a return to work plan, and actively educating employees on required PPE and social distancing. For any employees working inside the facility or outside in the field with customers, we are taking and recording temperatures daily. We’re also performing environmental (surface) testing throughout the plant and have implemented proper cleaning and sanitizing practices for high traffic and common areas. Lastly, we have a Safety Committee that meets weekly to discuss anything that came up that week and keep up with changing information.
All of these actions have created peer based accountability and support around how we act in this environment. That is ultimately something I am very proud – we are making safety cool again.
Seattle Fish Company Applauds Federal Effort to Establish National Standards for Offshore Aquaculture
Expansion of sustainable aquaculture would benefit American communities nationwide
DENVER, CO – MARCH 11 – SEATTLE FISH COMPANY, a member of Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS), applauds the federal effort to expand regulated offshore aquaculture in U.S. waters. The bipartisan Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D, MN-7) and Congressman Steven Palazzo (R, MS-4).
Derek Figueroa, President & CEO, Seattle Fish Company, said, “Seattle Fish Company is committed to increasing the consumption of sustainable seafood. Our planet’s surface is 72% water, yet only 7% of our protein comes from our oceans, rivers and lakes. Responsible aquaculture is a solution to feed our growing planet a responsible, nutritious and and delicious protein that our bodies need. We applaud the hard work of SATS and Reps. Peterson and Palazzo in introducing the AQUAA Act to allow for prudent expansion of offshore aquaculture.”
The AQUAA Act would establish National Standards for sustainable offshore aquaculture and clarify a regulatory pathway for offshore aquaculture in the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) which will support growth of the domestic offshore aquaculture industry.
Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food sector in the world, but the U.S. ranks only 16th in the production of farm-raised seafood. The lack of a predictable, affordable and efficient permitting process for offshore aquaculture in the U.S. hinders the growth of the industry. Federal action would reverse that trend and increase U.S. production of sustainable, affordable and healthful seafood, while protecting our wild-capture fisheries and natural resources.
The regulated expansion of domestic aquaculture would benefit communities across the country in coastal and agricultural states by stimulating economic growth and creating thousands of new jobs. Increased aquaculture production would also benefit farmers of soybeans, corn and peas — products that would be used to create fish feed, easing pressure on ocean resources while providing a new market for U.S. farmers.
SEATTLE FISH COMPANY KANSAS CITY ACQUIRED BY CHICAGO-BASED FORTUNE FISH & GOURMET
On January 15th, 2020, Seattle Fish Company International Kansas City was acquired by Chicago-based distributor Fortune Fish & Gourmet. Seattle Fish Company (Denver) remains fully operational, and there will be no changes to staff, service, day-to-day business. Seattle Fish Company and Fortune Fish & Gourmet share many common ideas and believe in an overall mission to grow seafood consumption, which makes this acquisition the right fit and a mutually beneficial transaction for both companies.
Seattle Fish expanded into the Midwest market in 2003 and opened a state-of-the-art facility in Riverside, MO, 2015. It has operated as a seafood processor and distributor servicing the finest retailers, restaurants, and clubs in the region for the last 16 years. The company will be rebranded as Fortune Fish & Gourmet Missouri. Scott Godke, the General Manager of Seattle Fish Kansas City, was hired by Fortune International to continue to oversee the Kansas City operations. This purchase involves only the Kansas City operations of Seattle Fish and does not include the Denver-based processing or distribution operations.
James Iacino, Executive Chairman of Seattle Fish states, “This is a strategic and beneficial transaction for both corporations. Seattle Fish has called Colorado and the Midwest home for over 100 years. We are looking forward to continuing that legacy while making strategic investments in our core market.”
Seattle Fish Company International has been a part of the Colorado community and Rocky Mountain region for over a century and is looking forward to the opportunity this transaction offers to reinvest in strategic initiatives in its market.
If you have any additional questions about the acquisition, please contact:
Media/PR Contact:
Taylor Laitsch
Communications & Marketing Manager
Seattle Fish Company
303-810-7257
tlaitsch@seattlefish.com
About Seattle Fish Company
Seattle Fish Company is a third-generation family-owned company and Colorado-based business, proudly serving the Rocky Mountain region and surrounding states for over a century. Recognized for playing a major role in making fresh seafood available in the Rocky Mountain region; Seattle Fish Company transports and distributes sustainable seafood and gourmet provisions daily from around the world, providing products of the highest quality to over 1,400 restaurants and retailers. Seattle Fish Co. is dedicated to fostering sustainable fishing practices, including supporting local aquaculture farms, as well as fishery improvement projects around the world, ensuring that seafood as a healthful protein is available for all, for generations to come. For more information, please visit Seattle Fish Company’s website at www.seattlefish.com
We’re kicking off the New Year with two sustainable Whole Boat options! Call your Seattle Fish Co. Sales Rep or our friendly Customer Service team at 303-329-9595 to place your order today.
Seattle Fish Company believes in catching, growing and sourcing our seafood responsibly in order to ensure that our oceans are healthy for generations to come. Whole Boat is our weekly sustainable product program that highlights a fish or seafood item with a unique sustainability story to tell. This item may be bycatch or a lesser-known species, but will always be affordable and consciously sourced.
GOLDEN TILE Description: Tilefish, sometimes known as “the clown of the sea,” are colorful fish. Because their diet is mainly made up of shellfish, Tilefish have a delicate, sweet flavor similar to lobster or crab. Catch Method: Long Line Caught in the Gulf of Mexico by Captain Jack MBA Rating: Yellow (Good Alternative)
YELLOWEDGE GROUPER Description: Yellowedge grouper can be identified by the bright yellow color of its eyes and fin edges. A deep-water fish, Yellowedge Grouper has a mild but very unique flavor, comparable to a cross between Bass and Halibut. Cooked Grouper meat firm with big flakes, and holds its moisture extremely well. Catch Method: Long Line Caught in the Gulf of Mexico by Captain Jack MBA Rating: Yellow (Good Alternative)
Exciting Changes Ahead for Seattle Fish Co. & Lombardi Brothers Meats
We’re thrilled to share some exciting news about the future of Seattle Fish Company and Lombardi Brothers Meats. As part of our ongoing commitment to providing you with exceptional products and services, we have a major initiative underway: Lombardi Brothers Meats will be relocating its operations to our Seattle Fish warehouse at 6211 E 42nd Avenue.
This transition is targeted for completion by November 4th. By integrating our operations, we will be able to offer you a combined meat and seafood selection at lower costs with even faster response times, ensuring we continue to meet and exceed your expectations.
As part of the transition to our new location, Lombardi Brothers Meats will be temporarily shutting down operations fromNovember 1st-3rd, with production resuming on November 4th. To ensure you have everything you need, we encourage you to place orders early for any non-stocked Lombardi items. This will help us fulfill your requests in advance and minimize any disruptions.
If you have any questions, or need assistance in placing orders, please contact your sales representative or send us a message at info@seattlefish.com.
