Export Packers

What Export Packers does

Export Packers Company Limited is a privately held, family-controlled Canadian food trading and distribution enterprise headquartered in Brampton, Ontario. Founded in 1937 (with roots to a 1927 kosher retail poultry store operated by the Rubenstein family), the company operates four business segments: International Trading, Retail North America, Foodservice North America, and Fresh Seafood. Its core capability is global procurement and resale of food commodities — meat (pork, beef, poultry), seafood, juice concentrates, frozen fruits and vegetables, and honey — conducted across 70+ countries with dedicated offices in Argentina, Brazil, Hong Kong, India, and Taiwan.

The company serves enterprise customers including meat processors, wholesalers, foodservice distributors, retail chains, and restaurants, supplying both private label and branded product lines (Ocean Jewel, Diamond Harvest, Family Delight, Ocean Dragon, Green Ocean, Toppits, Red Samurai, plus the Odem International honey division). Its competitive positioning rests on long-standing supplier relationships (partners in 18 countries for frozen produce), regulatory credentials (HACCP, AIB, BRC, SAFE, FDA FSMA/FSVP compliance, PCQI certification), and a portfolio of value-added seafood manufacturing capabilities acquired through recent M&A (Green Ocean in 2023, Toppits in 2024).

Revenue is generated through transactional B2B trading margins on commodity volumes, supplemented by branded retail products and domestic foodservice distribution. The company maintains a direct enterprise sales model organized by region (Asia/Africa, Latin America, North America, Australia/New Zealand), with no disclosed consumer-facing digital platform, software offering, or subscription pricing model. Ownership remains with the Rubenstein family, with Jeff Rubenstein as Chairman and Dan LeBlanc as President & CEO since 2002.

Name

Export Packers

Legal name

Export Packers Company Limited

Website

https://exportpackers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Export Packers is a privately held Canadian food trading and distribution company that procures and sells meat, seafood, juice concentrates, frozen produce, and honey across 70+ countries, serving retail chains, foodservice distributors, and meat processors through four business segments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Food Trading and Distribution

NAICS

Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (42446), Meat and Meat Product Merchant Wholesalers (42447), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171), Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140), Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Import/Export & Cross-Border Food Commodity Trading (AFAIAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Seafood Wholesale (Fresh & Frozen) (AFAIADAD), Meat, Poultry & Seafood Wholesale (AFAIABAF), Refrigerated Meat & Seafood (Processed/Packaged) (CRADACAK)

Keywords

• Food import export
• International food trading
• Seafood distribution
• Private label foods
• Foodservice supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Brampton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. International Trading: Global procurement and sales of food commodities including meat (pork, beef, poultry), seafood, juice concentrates, frozen fruits & vegetables, and honey. Conducts business in over 70 countries worldwide through international offices in Argentina, Brazil, Hong Kong, India, and Taiwan.
2. Retail Private Label & Branded Products: Supplying retailer private label food products with own branded products including seafood and frozen appetizers. Works with national brands in the seafood category. Products include stuffed pastas, frozen fruits & vegetables, and plant-based products.
3. Foodservice Distribution: Marketing domestic and imported products to food distributors, restaurants, and non-commercial food operators in Canada. Specializes in seafood with broad assortment of branded and private label products. Manages private label purchasing and inventory for major foodservice customers.
4. Fresh Seafood: Fresh seafood sales with direct links to fisheries worldwide, providing Canadian customers with species assortment through fast-to-market supply chain for optimum freshness. Sourced from farmed and wild-caught varieties.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Export Packers is a Canadian food trading and distribution company that sources, supplies, and markets food commodities globally. The company operates four business segments — International Trading, Retail North America, Foodservice North America, and Fresh Seafood — covering meat (pork, beef, poultry), seafood, juice concentrates, frozen fruits & vegetables, and honey across 70+ countries. It supplies private label and branded seafood products (Ocean Jewel, Diamond Harvest, Ocean Dragon, Green Ocean, Toppits, Family Delight, Red Samurai) to retail chains, foodservice operators, and further processors.

Product overview

Export Packers operates as a diversified international food trading company with four key business segments: International Trading, Domestic Food Service, Retail, and Fresh Seafood. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of branded and private label food products including seafood (Ocean Jewel, Diamond Harvest, Ocean Dragon, Green Ocean, Toppits, Red Samurai), meat (pork, beef, poultry), juice concentrates, frozen fruits and vegetables, and honey (through Odem International). Products are sold through retail, foodservice, and international trading channels across North America and globally in over 70 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ocean Jewel: Seafood brand operating in retail and foodservice channels
• Diamond Harvest
• Family Delight
• Ocean Dragon
• Green Ocean
• Toppits
• Odem International

Products and services

• International Trading Group
• Foodservice Distribution (Canada)
• Retail Private Label & Branded Products (North America)

Quantifiable outcome

• Full traceability of products from supplier network
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ocean Jewel SeafoodcoreOthersOwned brand specializing in seafood products. The company manages Ocean Jewel brand for retail and foodservice channels, with dedicated website at oceanjewelseafood.com. Products include wide variety of seafood species in various packaging formats.
• Diamond HarvestcoreOthersOwned retail brand for seafood products. Visited at diamondharvest.ca. Part of the company's branded product portfolio serving retail customers.
• Family DelightcoreOthersOwned brand launched in 1984 for retail products. Part of the company's long-standing brand portfolio serving retail private label and branded product customers.
• ToppitscoreOthersBrand and value added seafood manufacturing acquired in 2024. Website at toppits.com for both retail and foodservice channels. Represents company's expansion in seafood processing capabilities.
• Green Ocean SeafoodcoreOthersSeafood brand acquired in 2023. Website at greenoceanseafood.ca. Part of company's portfolio of seafood brands including Ocean Jewel, Ocean Dragon, and Diamond Harvest.
• Ocean Dragon SeafoodcoreOthersOwned seafood brand launched in 2016. Website at oceandragonseafood.com. Part of company's diversified seafood brand portfolio serving various market segments.
• Odem InternationalcoreOthersDivision of Export Packers providing highly professional expertise in bee products industry, both in North America and around the world. Ensures strong link between honey producers and honey processors with transparency, strong relationships, and ethical values. Website at odeminternational.com.
• Anova SeafoodminorOthersPartner brand featured in foodservice division. Partner brand for seafood products alongside Phillips.
• Phillips FoodsminorOthersPartner brand featured in foodservice division alongside Anova Seafood. One of the partner brands in the foodservice channel.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• High Liner Foods: Canadian-headquartered frozen seafood manufacturer and marketer serving North American retail and foodservice. Closely comparable to Export Packers' seafood-focused trading, branded portfolio (Ocean Jewel, Diamond Harvest, Green Ocean), and value-added processing (Toppits) business.
• Premium Brands Holdings: Canadian specialty food manufacturer and distributor with a diversified protein and food portfolio across retail and foodservice. Comparable to Export Packers in multi-category Canadian-headquartered food distribution with M&A-driven growth.
• Atalanta Corporation: US-based privately held importer and distributor of specialty foods, seafood, and meats serving retail, foodservice, and industrial customers. Directly comparable to Export Packers' international trading, retail private-label, and foodservice distribution model.
• Clearwater Seafoods: Canadian seafood harvester and processor with branded retail and foodservice products. Comparable as a Canadian seafood specialist with global sourcing and branded portfolio positioning similar to Ocean Jewel and Diamond Harvest.

Broad incumbents

• Gordon Food Service: Large North American broadline foodservice distributor serving restaurants, schools, and healthcare across Canada and the US. Overlaps Export Packers' Foodservice North America segment but at significantly greater scale and broader product breadth.
• Sysco: Largest North American foodservice distribution company with operations across the US, Canada, and internationally. Competes with Export Packers' foodservice segment for Canadian distribution customers but at a fundamentally larger scale.
• Maple Leaf Foods: Major Canadian protein producer and packaged food company with branded retail and foodservice presence. Comparable to Export Packers' meat trading, value-added seafood, and branded retail operations, but with its own processing assets.
• Ocean Brands (Bumble Bee / Thai Union affiliate operations in Canada): Thai Union's North American branded seafood portfolio (Chicken of the Sea, Bumble Bee, Ocean Brands Canada) competes with Export Packers' branded seafood in retail and foodservice channels across Canada.

Emerging players

• SunOpta: North American plant-based and fruit-based food company with sourcing operations internationally. Comparable to Export Packers' frozen fruits & vegetables and plant-based product lines within the Retail segment.

Regional players

• Lassonde Industries: Canadian-headquartered food and beverage company focused on juices, fruit-based products, and specialty foods. Comparable to Export Packers' juice concentrates and frozen fruits & vegetables trading segments and Canadian retail private-label capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ExportPackers
• LinkedInca.linkedin.com/company/export-packers-co.-ltd.

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Export Packers