Pacific Seafood closes deal for plant to expand in US Southeast

West Coast US industry giant Pacific Seafood Group has closed a deal to acquire the assets of a defunct former skin-pack plant in Doral, Florida, an acquisition Undercurrent News first reported the prospect of during Seafood Expo North America (SENA) in March.

Clackamas, Oregon-based Pacific has closed the deal for the building and equipment of the former NovoMar plant in Doral, close to Miami’s international airport, salmon sector sources told Undercurrent.

Pacific confirmed the deal for the 26,000-square-foot distribution plant to Undercurrent.

With Florida’s rapidly growing population and a $53.2 billion grocery market, this investment strengthens Pacific’s presence in the Southeast and supports its long-term growth strategy, Mission 31, to double in size by 2031, the company said.

“This investment is a game-changer for our Miami operations,” said Reggie LaGuardia, Pacific’s director of distribution, in the statement sent to Undercurrent. “By securing our own facility, we gain greater control over production, food safety, and IT infrastructure, ensuring we can meet and exceed the needs of our customers. This expansion strengthens our ability to serve key retail and foodservice partners while positioning us for continued growth in the region.”

The plant deal will allow the company to process its own seafood, reducing reliance on third-party suppliers, increasing efficiency, and expanding value-added capabilities such as skin-pack salmon processing, Pacific said. Additionally, the facility is expected to achieve critical food safety

certifications, such as SQF, that were not possible at the previous location.

As Undercurrent previously reported, the plant was designed to process as many as 35,000 skin packs per shift and up to 40m pounds annually once it reached full production.

In addition to the 25,765 square feet of plant space, the deal gives Pacific 5,930 square feet of office space across two stories; a refrigerated processing area to handle raw material and skin-pack processing; Three dock-height bay doors for improved logistics and the potential to develop a value-added program with space for a test kitchen.

NovoMar, founded by Emil Andreassen, the son of Atlantic Sapphire founder Johan Andreassen, began efforts to liquidate its operation in October last year. Antarctica Advisors, a corporate finance boutique, handled the sales process.

Andreassen and executives with Antarctica Advisors could not be reached for comments from Undercurrent.

At SENA, Undercurrent revealed that Pacific was negotiating the deal because it had outgrown its existing facility in Miami.

Pacific has operated in Miami, Florida, since 2015, bringing in salmon, tilapia and other seafood from Latin America for further distribution in the US.

The company’s website states the Miami operation was opened as a “consolidation and inspection point” for fresh commodity items such as salmon and tilapia coming from Latin America and South America for Kroger, the largest US retailer.

It’s “currently serving mainly retailer and key accounts with a few independent distributors” and has “the ability to repack and further process.”

The NovoMar plant deal comes as Pacific plans to double its size in the next seven years under its “Mission 31” plan. During SENA, Bill Hueffner, vice president of talent and culture at Pacific, joined Undercurrent‘s Catch the Current podcast to talk about how the company is growing.

Pacific — owned by CEO Frank Dulcich– has more than 40 facilities across the US and Canada, employing more than 3,000 team members and distributing products worldwide, the company states. The company was founded in 1941 by Dulcich’s grandfather.

Back in December last year, Pacific closed a deal for three connected plants in Kodiak, Alaska, from Trident Seafoods.

One of the three plants, The Star of Kodiak, is the largest on Kodiak. It operates all year, processing pollock, salmon, halibut, rockfish, crab, herring, and Pacific cod.

Pacific already had a smaller operation in Kodiak, which will be rolled into the plants acquired from Trident, sources told Undercurrent.

 

SOURCE: Undercurrent News