What Ducktrap does

Ducktrap River of Maine, LLC is a premium smoked seafood producer founded in 1978 by Des Fitzgerald along the Ducktrap River in Maine. The company operates a single processing facility at 57 Little River Drive in Belfast, Maine, employing over 100 people, and functions as the U.S. premium smoked seafood brand affiliate of Mowi USA, LLC (part of Norway-based Mowi ASA, the world's largest farm-raised salmon producer). Ducktrap's core technology is a proprietary four-wood smoking blend of maple, oak, cherry, and apple woods, combined with a brining process refined over 45 years. The product portfolio spans three processing techniques: cold smoked (smoked below 90°F, ready-to-eat, silky texture), lightly smoked (smoke just enough to impart delicate flavor, must be cooked), and smoke roasted (smoked above 145°F, fully cooked, flaky texture). The brand is supported by two sub-brands, Kendall Brook (premium craft cold smoked Atlantic salmon) and Spruce Point (bold-flavored cold smoked salmon), plus recent flavor innovations including Hot Honey and Maple Bourbon Style variants, and a meal topper convenience line.

Ducktrap generates revenue through one-time sales of smoked seafood products across retail and foodservice channels in the United States. Distribution occurs through retail placement at major grocers nationwide (refrigerated seafood section, in-store only) and foodservice distribution partners serving restaurants, hotels, and catering operators, leveraging Mowi's broader sales and distribution infrastructure. Customer segments are split between retail consumers (horizontal, purchasing for home cooking, entertaining, charcuterie) and foodservice/hospitality operators (horizontal, requiring bulk and consistent quality), with a smaller vertical focus on natural and organic retailers served via MSC and BAP sustainability certifications. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and no online direct-to-consumer transaction channel exists.

The company pursues an active product innovation and channel expansion strategy, evidenced by the 2026 Hot Honey launch and second-consecutive Natural Products Expo West participation targeting natural and organic retail. Marketing relies on content (blog, YouTube recipes, Instagram engagement), industry events, and a chef ambassador partnership (George Duran, since 2023). All products are processed in the Belfast, Maine facility, which carries MSC (MSC-C 55501, for wild-caught Maine raw material), BAP (Cert # P10774, for farmed Atlantic salmon from Chile and Colombia), and Kosher certifications on relevant SKUs.

Name

Ducktrap

Legal name

Ducktrap River of Maine, LLC

Website

https://ducktrap.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Ducktrap River of Maine is a premium U.S. smoked seafood producer, founded 1978, operating a single Belfast, Maine facility. A subsidiary of Mowi USA, it sells cold smoked, lightly smoked, and smoke roasted salmon and trout through national grocery retail and foodservice distribution channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Smoked Seafood

NAICS

Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171)

SIC

Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092)

akta.pro primary industry

Smoked & Cured Seafood (Salmon, Herring, Lox) (AFANALAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Smoked Meats & Seafood (Hot/Cold Smoking) (AFANAEAB)

Keywords

• Smoked salmon products
• Cold smoked seafood
• Smoked fish manufacturing
• Premium seafood brands
• Fish processing facility

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Smoked Seafood Product Sales: Ducktrap generates revenue through the sale of premium smoked seafood products including cold smoked salmon, lightly smoked salmon, and smoke roasted salmon sold through retail and foodservice distribution channels across the United States.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ducktrap River of Maine manufactures and sells premium smoked seafood products including cold smoked, lightly smoked, and smoke roasted Atlantic salmon, sockeye salmon, and rainbow trout. All products are processed at the company's Belfast, Maine facility using a proprietary four-wood smoking blend (maple, oak, cherry, and apple) and a brining process refined over 45 years. Products are sold under the Ducktrap, Kendall Brook, and Spruce Point brands through retail grocery and foodservice distribution channels across the United States.

Product overview

Ducktrap River of Maine is a premium smoked seafood company offering a diversified portfolio of smoked salmon, trout, and specialty seafood products. The product line is organized around three core processing styles: Cold Smoked (silky texture, ready-to-eat), Lightly Smoked (subtle flavor, must be cooked), and Smoke Roasted (fully cooked, flaky texture). Key sub-brands include Kendall Brook (premium craft cold smoked Atlantic salmon) and Spruce Point (bold-flavored cold smoked salmon). Recent innovations include the Hot Honey Smoked Salmon range featuring both cold smoked and smoke roasted varieties with sweet-meets-spicy flavor profiles, and the Maple Bourbon Style Smoke Roasted variety. Products are smoked using a signature four-wood blend of maple, oak, cherry, and apple woods in the company's Belfast, Maine facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kendall Brook: Premium cold smoked Atlantic salmon, revered by chefs and food lovers, dry brined and slowly cold smoked in Maine with a signature blend of maple, oak, cherry, and apple woods.
• Spruce Point

Products and services

• Cold Smoked Atlantic Salmon Atlantic Salmon fillets brined with a carefully crafted seasoning blend then smoked below 90°F with a blend of maple, oak, cherry and apple woods. Ready to eat, skin off, with assorted sizes of 4oz and 8oz.
• Cold Smoked Sockeye Salmon Wild Sockeye Salmon cold smoked with a blend of fruitwoods and hardwoods. MSC certified wild-caught product.
• Lightly Smoked Atlantic Salmon Salmon fillets dry brined in a light coating of salt, smoked with apple, cherry, maple and oak woods. Must be cooked before consumption, not for raw consumption. Available in 2 x 5oz portions and Catch Weight.
• Smoke Roasted Atlantic Salmon Fish brined with salt and smoked with a blend of fruitwoods and hardwoods to a temperature greater than 145°F, resulting in a flaky texture. Fully cooked, skin on, available in assorted sizes 3.5oz, 4oz, and 8oz.
• Smoke Roasted Rainbow Trout Rainbow trout smoked to a temperature greater than 145°F, resulting in a flaky texture. Farm raised product.
• Hot Honey Cold Smoked Atlantic Salmon Hot Honey seasoned Atlantic salmon in cold smoked format. Craveable blend of subtle sweetness, gentle heat, and rich smoked salmon. Available in 4oz portions.
• Hot Honey Smoke Roasted Atlantic Salmon Hot Honey seasoned Atlantic salmon in smoke roasted format. Sweet-meets-smoky flavor with firm, flaky texture. Earned the Good Housekeeping Seal. Available in 6oz portions.
• Maple Bourbon Style Smoke Roasted Atlantic Salmon Atlantic salmon with maple bourbon seasoning, smoke roasted for a flaky texture. Available in 6oz portions.
• Nova Lox Atlantic Salmon Cold smoked Atlantic salmon prepared in lox style. Available in 4oz portions.
• Kendall Brook Premium Cold Smoked Salmon Premium cold smoked Atlantic salmon sub-brand revered by chefs and food lovers. Dry brined and slowly cold smoked in Maine with a signature blend of maple, oak, cherry, and apple woods. Deep trimmed by hand, skinless, and thinly sliced. Available in Traditional, Cracked Pepper & Garlic varieties.
• Spruce Point Bold-Flavored Smoked Salmon Cold smoked Atlantic salmon sub-brand offering bold flavors, lightly trimmed, skinless, and thinly sliced. Cold smoked in Maine with a blend of fruitwoods and hardwoods. Available in Traditional, Pastrami Style, Gravlax Style, and Cracked Pepper & Garlic varieties.
• Atlantic Salmon Meal Topper Ready-to-use smoked Atlantic salmon portions for meal preparation. Available in Traditional and Lemon Dill varieties in 4oz portions.
• Sockeye Salmon Meal Topper MSC certified wild caught Sockeye Salmon meal topper in Traditional variety, 4oz portions.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• New Hope Network (Natural Products Expo West)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2026Ducktrap, as part of Mowi, participated at Natural Products Expo West 2026 (March 3-6) at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. This was their second consecutive year at the event, using it as an opportunity to strengthen presence in the U.S. natural and organic food market.
• Chef George DuranminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Celebrity chef George Duran partnered with Ducktrap starting in 2023 to promote Lightly Smoked Salmon and develop recipes, expanding brand awareness through culinary content and cooking demonstrations.
• Mowi Consumer Products (CP) of the AmericascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2021In October 2021, Mowi Consumer Products (CP) of the Americas collaborated with Ducktrap to launch their first-ever fresh skin pack product: Ducktrap Lightly Smoked Salmon. This partnership combined Ducktrap's smoking expertise with Mowi CP's advanced technology, with products initially retail packaged and later expanded into bulk foodservice.
• Mowi USA, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDucktrap River of Maine is a company affiliated with Mowi USA, LLC. Mowi is the world's largest farm-raised salmon producer operating in 26 countries. Ducktrap serves as Mowi's premium smoked seafood brand in the U.S. market.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Acme Smoked Fish: Brooklyn-based premium smoked fish producer with national retail and foodservice distribution across salmon, trout, sable, and whitefish. Acme is the most direct U.S. competitor to Ducktrap in branded smoked salmon and shares similar certifications and foodservice exposure.
• Honey Smoked Fish Company: Colorado-based specialty smoked salmon producer serving retail and foodservice with branded and private-label smoked salmon. Comparable product portfolio (cold smoked, hot smoked) and channel mix makes it a direct competitive peer.
• St. James Smokehouse: Scottish craft smokehouse producing premium smoked salmon for U.S. retail and specialty food channels. Comparable premium positioning, traditional smoking methods, and brand-led marketing make it a direct peer in the artisan smoked salmon niche.
• Sea Bear Smokehouse: Washington-state based smoked salmon and seafood producer with strong direct-to-consumer and specialty retail presence. Operates in the same premium smoked seafood category with overlapping customer profiles and product formats.
• Tony's Smokehouse: Wisconsin-based specialty smokehouse producing smoked salmon, smoked trout, and other smoked seafood for retail and foodservice. Comparable product range and channel strategy position it as a direct peer in U.S. smoked seafood.
• Vita Foods: Specialty seafood processor offering smoked salmon, lox, and related products to retail and foodservice. Comparable product format and channel mix position it as a peer in the prepared smoked seafood category.

Regional players

• Bar Harbor Foods: Maine-based specialty seafood company producing canned herring, smoked herring, sardines, and clam products. Shares Ducktrap's Maine heritage and specialty seafood positioning, and competes for similar regional and specialty retail customers.
• Foppen: Dutch premium smoked salmon producer with strong presence in European retail and growing U.S. distribution. Comparable cold smoking craft, premium brand positioning, and salmon-led product range make it a relevant international peer.

Emerging players

• Regal Springs: Tilapia and premium farmed fish producer with growing branded retail presence. While not a smoked seafood producer, Regal Springs is a relevant adjacent peer as a vertically integrated farmed seafood brand owner competing for similar retail and foodservice customers.

Broad incumbents

• Ocean Brands / Ocean Group: Canadian seafood conglomerate producing smoked salmon, frozen seafood, and other prepared seafood products across retail and foodservice channels. A broader seafood incumbent that overlaps with Ducktrap in smoked salmon and competes for similar retail and foodservice accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ducktrap
• Instagraminstagram.com/ducktrapriverofmaine

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Ducktrap