Striped bass producer Pacifico Aquaculture has expanded its direct sales and nationwide logistics capabilities in-house as of this month, the company announced on 21 May.
Over the last year, Pacifico Aquaculture – which claims it is "the world’s first and only producer of responsibly-farmed, ocean-raised striped bass" – has grown its internal team to include a new logistics manager, two sales managers, a culinary specialist and brand ambassador, and a customer service manager.
The new personnel will oversee "Pacifico’s continued growth as distribution expands across the country from Los Angeles [California] to New York,” according to the company, and will work with existing customers and partners, including Santa Monica Seafood, Seattle Fish Co., Fortune Fish Co., Gotham Seafood, and more. Pacifico plans to add even more to its sales team over the course of the next six months, it said.
The decision to move its logistics operations in-house is part of Pacifico’s broader plan to build a regionally-based U.S. sales team and achieve nationwide distribution. Prior to the shift, Los Angeles, California-based Prime Time Seafood, led by Rex Ito – one of the farm’s previous owners – oversaw Pacifico’s logistics. Pacifico Co-CEOs Daniel Farag and Omar Alfi acquired the majority ownership of the company from a group of partners that included Prime Time Seafood and Rex Ito in 2013.
“We are so grateful for our partnership with Rex and the entire team at Prime Time Seafood. We worked together to achieve growth in sales of Pacifico striped bass to date and we couldn’t have become who we are without them,” co-owner Daniel Farag said. “As we grow, we feel that it is important to manage all aspects of our operation. This move allows us to build strong direct relationships with our regional distributors and end-customers while incorporating a more efficient, long-term pricing model.”
Since Farag and co-owner Omar Alfi took over the business, Pacifico has seen the construction of a hatchery, implemented innovations at the ocean farm sites, and developed deep processing capabilities internally. The company has also achieved four-star status under the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices program.
“Expansion of this scale is very exciting, but it hasn’t changed our mission. Sustainability is a core tenet of Pacifico,” Alfi said. “The DNA of this company is responsibility. Responsibility for the fish that we raise, the surrounding environment, our employees, their families, the community and our customers.”
Pacifico initially began scaling its operations following an investment from Los Angeles, California-based private equity firm Butterfly in 2017.
“Since then, Pacifico has achieved significant growth and expanded its distribution footprint across all U.S. regions. As a result of the growth in the company’s production and its desire to improve its customer service, Pacifico is bringing all logistics in-house rather than utilizing a third party,” the company said in a press release.
