H & N Group

What H & N Group does

H & N Group, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned wholesale seafood distributor founded in 1981 by Hua Ngo in San Francisco and currently headquartered in Vernon, California. The company sources, distributes, and supplies a portfolio of fresh and frozen seafood across seven core product categories: shrimp, swai/pangasius, tilapia, salmon, New Zealand greenshell mussels, wild finfish, and catfish. It sells under proprietary sub-brands including Mekong Basa (swai), Blue River and Tiger Bay (shrimp), Ocean Jewel and Pacific Delight (tilapia), and Crystal Harvest (NZ mussels). Products are offered in both food-service and retail pack sizes, with BAP certification on shrimp and swai lines and USDA-inspected containers.

The company serves two primary customer segments, food service operators (restaurants, hotels, hospitality) and retail/grocery buyers, across North America through three locations: a 78,000 sq. ft. headquarters facility in Vernon, CA; an East Coast regional office in Newark, NJ; and an additional California site in Burlingame. Distribution is executed via a direct B2B sales model staffed by dedicated sales representatives who handle product specifications, availability, and pricing; the company does not disclose public pricing. Sourcing is global, spanning the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, and Southeast Asian aquaculture, supported by multi-decade supplier relationships.

H & N Group generates revenue through wholesale product sales (transaction-based) and has grown historically through a combination of organic expansion and five acquisitions (Joe Pucci and Son's 1993, Expack 2005, Rymer 2007, Berdex 2009, Network Commodities 2017). The company was ranked #15 on Seafood Source's Top North American Seafood Suppliers list in 2017 and pioneered the U.S. introduction of swai/pangasius in 1998. The firm remains under family control, with founder Hua Ngo and his children Christine Ngo (EVP) and Bobby Ngo actively involved in daily operations; no external investors, parent company, or private equity ownership has been disclosed.

Name

H & N Group

Legal name

H & N Group, Inc.

Website

https://hngroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

H & N Group is a family-owned wholesale seafood distributor founded in 1981 that supplies fresh and frozen shrimp, swai, tilapia, salmon, mussels, finfish, and catfish to food service and retail customers across North America from three U.S. locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Seafood Distribution

NAICS

Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (42446), Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (424460), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Frozen Meat, Poultry & Seafood Wholesale (AFAIAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Seafood Wholesale (Fresh & Frozen) (AFAIADAD), Value-Added Seafood Packaging (MAP/Vacuum, Portion Packs, Private Label) (AFANADAM), Ready-to-Eat Seafood (Cooked Shrimp, Crab, Lobster, Surimi) (AFANALAC)

Keywords

• Wholesale seafood distribution
• Frozen seafood supply
• Fresh seafood wholesale
• Pangasius swai supply
• Shrimp distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Vernon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Seafood Distribution: H & N Group generates revenue through the wholesale distribution of fresh and frozen seafood products. The company sells to food service operators and retail customers, offering products in both food service and retail pack sizes. Revenue is generated through product sales with pricing handled via sales representatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

H & N Group is a wholesale seafood distributor that sources, processes, and distributes fresh and frozen seafood products across the United States. The company supplies restaurants, hotels, and food service operators as well as grocery and retail markets, offering products in both food service and retail pack sizes under proprietary brands including Mekong Basa (swai), Blue River and Tiger Bay (shrimp), Ocean Jewel and Pacific Delight (tilapia), and Crystal Harvest (New Zealand Greenshell Mussels).

Product overview

H & N Group is a wholesale seafood company offering a diverse portfolio of fresh and frozen seafood products. The product portfolio includes seven core product categories: Shrimp (with premium brands Blue River, Tiger Bay, Ocean Jewel), Swai/Pangasius (Mekong Basa brand), Tilapia (Ocean Jewel, Pacific Delight), Salmon, New Zealand Greenshell Mussels (Crystal Harvest), Wild Finfish, and Catfish. Products are available in both fresh and frozen forms, with options for food service and retail packs. The company sources from certified farms and fisheries globally, with BAP certification for shrimp and swai products. The company operates three locations across North America (Newark, NJ; Vernon, CA; Burlingame, CA) serving wholesale customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mekong Basa: Swai/Pangasius brand - the original Orange Box swai product introduced to USA in 1998.
• Ocean Jewel
• Pacific Delight
• Blue River
• Tiger Bay
• Crystal Harvest

Products and services

• Shrimp Wholesale shrimp offerings including White Shrimp and Black Tiger Shrimp, available as cooked or raw. Offered under premium brands Blue River, Tiger Bay, and Ocean Jewel. BAP certified, sourced from top farms with long-standing relationships. Sold to food service operators and retail markets.
• Swai/Pangasius Swai/Pangasius wholesale product pioneered by H & N Group in 1998, sold under the Mekong Basa brand (original Orange Box). BAP certified, available in food service and retail packs. Each container is inspected and approved by the USDA. Reached top 10 seafood consumed in the USA in 2009 and has been ranked #6 since 2011.
• Tilapia Wholesale tilapia packed under the Ocean Jewel and Pacific Delight brands by H & N Group. Historically consumed since ancient Egyptians and consistently in the top five species of seafood consumption in the USA.
• Salmon Wild and farmed salmon sourced globally from fisheries and farms. Available as HOG, fillets, and portions. Sourced by H & N's top-rate procurement team for fresh and frozen supply.
• New Zealand Greenshell Mussels Crystal Harvest brand New Zealand Greenshell Mussels, cooked immediately after harvest to maintain flavor and quality. 30% larger than common blue mussels. Packed in 2lb bag with UPC. Sourced through direct partnership with a family-owned processor in New Zealand.
• Wild Finfish Year-round frozen wild hook & line caught Alaskan Cod, plus fresh wild rockfish, perch, halibut and sole imported from Canada. Variety of species with timing dependent on wild seasons.
• Catfish Catfish sourced directly from a family-owned farm in the USA. Available as whole fish, fillets, and catfish nuggets to meet the needs of different market segments.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Fisheries Institute (NFI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerH & N Group has been a member of NFI for many years, believing in their mission and recognizing their integral role in the seafood industry. Within NFI, the company actively participates in The Shrimp Council, Seafood Industry Research Fund (SIRF), and The Better Seafood Board (BSB). Executive Vice President Christine Ngo represented the company in the first Future Leaders Class in 1998.
• Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerH & N Group is a member of GAA, recognizing that the business is dependent on responsible aquaculture. Founded in 1997, GAA is an international non-governmental organization dedicated to advocacy, education, and leadership in responsible aquaculture.
• Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)coreOthersH & N Group ensures that their farms are BAP Certified. All swai products are BAP certified and each container is inspected and approved by the USDA.
• Sea ShareminorOthersAffiliated organization working on seafood industry charitable initiatives.
• Better Seafood Board (BSB)minorOthersH & N Group actively participates in the Better Seafood Board through their NFI membership.
• Seafood Industry Research Fund (SIRF)minorOthersH & N Group participates in SIRF through their NFI membership to support seafood industry research.
• Shrimp CouncilminorOthersH & N Group participates in the Shrimp Council through their NFI membership.
• Ocean Trust (Fisheries Wildlife)minorOthersAffiliated organization working on marine conservation and wildlife protection.
• Dish on FishminorOthersA blog initiative launched by NFI where you can find new seafood recipes and learn about health and nutrition information about seafood.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• US Foods: Major US broadline foodservice distributor carrying fresh and frozen seafood among a broad assortment. Overlaps with H&N on food-service accounts but competes across far more categories and at greater national scale.
• Maruha Nichiro: Japan-based global seafood company engaged in catch, aquaculture, processing, and wholesale of frozen and value-added seafood worldwide. Comparable in product breadth and wholesale activity but materially larger and globally diversified versus H&N.
• Sysco: Largest US broadline foodservice distributor with a sizable seafood category. Comparable as a wholesale channel serving the same restaurant and institutional buyers as H&N, though seafood is one of many categories.
• Thai Union Group: Global seafood conglomerate (Chicken of the Sea, Bumble Bee, Genki) and one of the world's largest shrimp and tuna processors. Comparable as a vertically integrated seafood company, but operating at significantly larger scale than H&N and with global brand portfolios.

Direct peers

• Stavis Seafoods: Boston-based wholesale seafood distributor serving restaurants and retailers across the Northeast with fresh and frozen seafood. Directly comparable as a regional-to-national seafood wholesaler in the same customer segments as H&N.
• High Liner Foods: North American frozen seafood processor and marketer selling value-added seafood products to retailers and food service operators. Comparable to H&N's frozen seafood and value-added packaging business, with stronger branded retail presence.
• North Coast Seafood: Specialty seafood distributor focused on fresh, frozen, and value-added seafood for retail, food service, and industrial customers. Comparable in business model and target buyers to H&N's wholesale seafood distribution operation.
• Handy Seafood: Mid-Atlantic seafood processor and wholesale distributor serving retail, food service, and industrial customers with crab, scallops, and other seafood. Comparable mid-sized US seafood wholesaler with similar customer mix to H&N.
• Trident Seafoods: One of the largest seafood companies in North America, operating in wild-catch, processing, and wholesale distribution of frozen seafood to retail and food service. Closely comparable in product breadth and B2B go-to-market motion to H&N.
• Pacific Seafood Group: Vertically integrated seafood company that harvests, processes, and distributes fresh and frozen seafood across North America. Directly comparable to H&N as a multi-species wholesale distributor serving both food service and retail with broad geographic coverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 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 H & N Group