SAN DIEGO — Bumble Bee Foods, LLC announced Monday a joint venture partnership with Gathered Foods Corporation, makers of Good Catch plant-based seafood products. Bumble Bee, one of North America’s largest branded seafood companies, will leverage its sales, distribution and logistics expertise to ensure that consumers nationwide have access to Good Catch products at affordable prices. This venture will make Bumble Bee the first and only major seafood company to partner with a plant-based seafood brand.
“This partnership is a win for Bumble Bee, Good Catch, consumers and the health of our oceans. Bumble Bee has always been deeply committed to sustainable fishing and we have been actively working to manage fish stocks across our portfolio,” said Jan Tharp, President and Chief Executive Officer for Bumble Bee Foods. “It is critically important that as an industry we continue to find innovative solutions to decouple growth with environmental impact. Providing great-tasting alternative ways for consumers to enjoy ocean-inspired foods is a key pillar of our long-term commitment to ocean health.”
Seafood is the next wave in the plant-based revolution that has been centered in the dairy and meat aisle. Good Catch has created great-tasting plant-based products using a proprietary blend of ingredients that offer similar texture, flavor, and nutritional value as seafood, while at the same time promoting healthier oceans. The brand is in a unique position to satisfy the growing consumer appetite for plant-based seafood and through this partnership with Bumble Bee, now has the ability to meet the ever-growing demand.
“Innovative, mission-driven start-ups generally enter the market with limited access,” said Chris Kerr, CEO and Co-Founder of Good Catch. “In forming this partnership with a forward-thinking and deeply rooted company like Bumble Bee we can reach far more consumers who want fish-alternative products. We're excited Bumble Bee is taking this bold step for the industry, for the oceans and the beautiful beings that live in it."
As an independent company, Good Catch will remain focused on developing and marketing great-tasting plant-based products. Bumble Bee will continue to bring consumers sustainably sourced seafood, including tuna, salmon, clams and sardines, in healthy, delicious and innovative ways.
"We are thrilled to see Bumble Bee jump into plant-based seafood with this joint venture,” said Bruce Friedrich, Executive Director of The Good Food Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to making cultivated and plant-based meat and seafood a reality. “As the first major U.S. seafood company to take this step toward getting plant-based seafood onto the plates of as many people as possible, Bumble Bee has proven itself forward-looking and willing to adapt to shifting consumer preferences."
