Santa Monica Seafood

American foodservice distributor

Santa Monica Seafood

Company type| Private
Industry| Foodservice
Founded| 1939
Founder| John Deluca
Headquarters| Rancho Dominguez, California[1]

Number of locations

| 11 (2024)

Area served

* Arizona
* California
* New Mexico
* Nevada
* Texas

Key people

* Roger O'Brien (pres., CEO)
* Michael Cigliano (chair., exec. VP)
* Jim Costello (CFO)

Owner| Cigliano family
Website| santamonicaseafood.com

Santa Monica Seafood is an American foodservice distribution company serving the Southwestern United States. It exclusively distributes seafood at a wholesale price and has ten physical stores.[1]

The company also has satellite locations in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Baltimore, Maryland, Chicago, Illinois and Denver, Colorado, allowing it to reach most of the U.S., barring the Southeast.[1][2][3]

## History

[edit]

John Deluca started the business when he moved from Naples, Italy, to San Pedro, Los Angeles, in 1898 and distributed seafood to support his family. His shop, which was later rebranded to The Albright, was located at the end of the Santa Monica Pier, giving the company its name.[4][5] The company was not officially incorporated until 1939.[1]

In 2011, it acquired Long Beach Seafood Co., a seafood distributor and longtime competitor.[6] Central Coast Seafood was bought in 2012, increasing Santa Monica Seafood's presence in Central California.[7] The company bought Seattle Fish Company in 2018, allowing for a further reach into New Mexico and Texas.[8] A new logo debuted in 2019.[9][10][11] Ethos Seafood was bought in 2020, furthering expansions into the Midwest.[12][13] Factories in Baltimore, Maryland, and Denver, Colorado, opened in 2023 and 2024, respectively.[2][3]

## Services

[edit]

The company buys its food in the morning from fishermen in Morro Bay, Santa Monica, and San Diego. There are six hundred species of fish and shellfish supplied by the company, including swordfish, dungeness crab, rockfish, and sablefish. In addition, sea urchin roe, lobsters, oysters, mussels, and clams are sold. Its physical stores contain lines of signature sauces.[1] The company also has two seafood restaurants, in Santa Monica and Costa Mesa, California.[14][15][16]

The company's subsidiary, Los Angeles Fish Co., imports Japanese seafood to the U.S.[1] It also supplies fresh fish such as chum salmon and tilapia to Walmart.[17] The University of California, Los Angeles also sources its fish from the company.[18]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f "Official website". Archived from the original on July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
2. ^ a b White, Cliff (November 17, 2023). "Santa Monica Seafood, Lagoon Seafood complete expansion projects". SeafoodSource. Archived from the original on July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
3. ^ a b Gibson, Dan (February 12, 2024). "Santa Monica expands into Colorado with $8m factory". Undercurrent News. Archived from the original on July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
4. ^ Hall, Suzanne (April 9, 2012). "Santa Monica Seafood Expert Tips For Buying Seafood". The Chalkboard. Archived from the original on July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
5. ^ Kayte, Deioma (September 15, 2019). "Santa Monica Pier Restaurants and Fast Food Options". TripSavvy. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
6. ^ "72-Year-Old Seafood Company Acquires 90-Year-Old Competitor". Quality Assurance & Food Safety. April 22, 2011. Archived from the original on July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
7. ^ "Santa Monica Seafood acquires Central Coast Seafood". Intrafish. July 3, 2012. Archived from the original on July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
8. ^ "Santa Monica Seafood Announces Purchase of Seattle Fish Company of New Mexico". SeafoodNews. March 9, 2018. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
9. ^ "Santa Monica Seafood's new logo first phase of brand identity change". Undercurrent News. November 15, 2019. Archived from the original on July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
10. ^ "Santa Monica Seafood New Logo as Part of Redesigned Brand Identity". Perishable News. November 18, 2019. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
11. ^ White, Cliff (November 18, 2019). "Santa Monica Seafood rebranding effort begins with new logo". SeafoodSource. Archived from the original on July 5, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
12. ^ "Santa Monica Seafood buys out JV partner in Ethos Seafood Group; doubles footprint in Midwest". PR Newswire. January 12, 2021. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
13. ^ Blank, Christine (January 7, 2022). "Santa Monica Seafood seeking merger, aquisition [sic] opportunities after record sales". SeafoodSource. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
14. ^ Mayfield, Priscilla (June 25, 2012). "Late Lunch Special: Oysters at Santa Monica Seafood". Orange Coast. Archived from the original on July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
15. ^ Venezia, Barbara (January 8, 2014). "Tasty Tidbits: Waves of flavors at Santa Monica Seafood". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
16. ^ "Santa Monica Seafood Hires Levitt Foods as National Retail Broker". Perishable News. June 26, 2019. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
17. ^ Nadkarni, Avani (August 8, 2016). "Santa Monica Seafood provides salmon, tilapia to Walmart". Intrafish. Archived from the original on July 8, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
18. ^ Wang, Hedy (March 11, 2018). "UCLA Dining Services increases sustainably sourced seafood on menu". Daily Bruin. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website