SAN DIEGO (March 3, 2014) – Leading North America seafood company Bumble Bee Seafoods has announced an exclusive partnership with tuna catcher and processor, Sapmer, the France-based company internationally recognized for its high-quality standards and sustainable fishing. The partnership will result in Bumble Bee Seafoods’ successful move into the premium food service arena delivering sashimi-quality frozen tuna to North American restaurants and food retailers.
“More discerning retail and food service buyers in North America are looking for the next level of quality frozen seafood products and this partnership fills the demand,” said Bumble Bee President and CEO, Chris Lischewski. “We’ve had our eye on this growing niche in the frozen industry for some time and Sapmer’s approach represents the quality we’ve been looking for in a partner.”
Sapmer, founded in France’s Reunion island in 1947, is the second-largest tuna fleet in France. A long-time supplier to the Japanese market, the company is recognized in the industry for engineering a unique process for freezing and processing sashimi-quality tuna, one that it’s eager to introduce to new markets including North America.
“The relationship between Sapmer and Bumble Bee is based on synergies in our approach to producing quality products in a sustainable fashion,” said Sapmer CEO, Yannick Lauri. “We couldn’t have chosen a better partner to introduce our sashimi-grade yellowfin and skipjack to the North American market.”
This partnership comes on the heels of two other Bumble Bee endeavors in the frozen category including the announcement of its premium fresh frozen seafood under the Bumble Bee SuperFresh™ line and the recent acquisition of its latest subsidiary, sashimi-quality tuna company Anova Food, LLC. According to Lischewski, as the first branded company to introduce ultra-low temperature (ULT) tuna to the North American market, Bumble Bee plans to continue to pursue the frozen industry holistically. This most recent collaboration with Sapmer allows it to offer more variety to its retail and food service customers, adding to a premium frozen tuna portfolio which already includes ULT sashimi grade and Clearsmoke™ treated tuna.
About Bumble Bee Seafoods
Bumble Bee Seafoods, headquartered in San Diego, is North America’s largest branded shelf-stable seafood company, offering a full line of canned and pouched tuna, salmon, sardine, and specialty protein products marketed in the U.S. under leading brands including Bumble Bee®, Brunswick®, Snow’s® and Beach Cliff®, and in Canada under the Clover Leaf® brand. The company also produces premium fresh frozen seafood under the Bumble Bee SuperFresh™ line. Bumble Bee SuperFresh™ seafood is cleaned, cut and fresh frozen within hours, then chef prepared with high-quality all natural ingredients.
Bumble Bee’s mission is to provide healthy and nutritious product and meal solutions that are sourced sustainably. Its BeeWell for Life® brand philosophy and signature program by the same name encourage consumers to eat healthfully and deliciously while maintaining an active everyday lifestyle. Bumble Bee is a founding member of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation — a first-of-kind initiative in the U.S. involving a coalition of retailers, non-profit organizations and food and beverage manufacturers with a mission to help reduce obesity, particularly childhood obesity by 2015. The company actively promotes the responsible stewardship of global fisheries resources and is a founding member of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) — a global partnership of scientists, tuna processors and WWF, the global conservation organization.
For more information on Bumble Bee Seafoods and the BeeWell for Life® program, visit www.BumbleBee.com and www.BeeWellForLife.com. Join fans of Bumble Bee and healthy living at www.facebook.com/BumbleBeeFoods.
About SAPMER
SAPMER is the historical deep-sea fishing operator in the waters of the French Southern and Antarctic Territories (TAAF) based on the island of Reunion. Having been created in 1947, SAPMER now operates a wholly-owned fleet of four freezer-longliners for Patagonian Toothfish and a Freezer pot Lobster vessel for Rock Lobster, and seven tuna purse seiners (on board -40°C deep freeze) for its tuna fishing activity (Yellowfin and Skipjack) in the Indian Ocean.
Positioned on strong-valued ‘niche’ activities, SAPMER is dividing its activities into two categories:
- Fishing activity which includes Toothfish and Rock Lobster sales fished in the Southern Seas (Economic Zones of the French Southern and Antarctic Territories – TAAF) and whole tuna sales (Yellowfin and Skipjack) fished in the Indian Ocean.
- Value-enhancing and processing activity (sashimi loins, steaks) of halieutic products.
In 2013, SAPMER achieved revenues of 91.6M€ (85% of which was made from exportations outside Europe, mainly Asia).
SAPMER is listed on Alternext Paris – ISIN code FR0010776617 – ALMER.
For more information on SAPMER, visit www.sapmer.com.
Media Contact:
Megan Verardi, FleishmanHillard
Ph: (415) 318-4000
