Aqua Star
Aqua Star is a Seattle-based, privately-held frozen seafood producer founded in 1990 that sources premium shrimp, fish, crab, and specialty seafood from 17 countries and distributes branded and private-label products to top US and Canadian grocery chains and foodservice operators.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Aqua Star does
Aqua Star is a privately-held frozen seafood producer and brand owner, legally Admiralty Island Fisheries, Inc., headquartered in Seattle, Washington and founded in 1990. The company sources and processes premium frozen shrimp, fish, crab, and specialty seafood (lobster, scallops, calamari, mussels) across 17 countries, then distributes finished goods under its own brand and private-label arrangements to top US and Canadian grocery chains, independent retailers, and a dedicated foodservice channel serving restaurants, hotels, and institutional buyers. Product breadth spans raw, cooked, breaded, battered, and marinated formats, with a growing branded meal-solution portfolio including MicroSteam microwavable bowls (launched 2020), Smart Seafood Sauté, and upgraded Skillet Meals (2025 packaging), as well as a dedicated 'Made in Canada' product line.
Underlying technology centers on flash-freezing processing and cold-chain infrastructure — own cold storage and processing facilities across the US and Canada — rather than software or AI systems. Brand and go-to-market are anchored by the Seafood Forever sustainability platform (nearly 35 years of investment across Social Responsibility, Environmental Responsibility, Traceability, and Food Safety) and supported by third-party certifications from MSC, ASC, BAP, Ocean Wise, and Seafood Watch, plus GDST traceability membership.
Aqua Star's business model is wholesale distribution: it sells branded and private-label frozen seafood through retail grocery chains and foodservice distributors (US Foods, UniPro, IMA, Shamrock Foods), with pricing set at the retailer/distributor level and not publicly disclosed. Marketing is multi-channel — recipe content, an Aqua Star Insider email program, organic social media, and trade-show presence — driving top-of-funnel consumer demand that supports retail pull-through. The company is founder/owner-led (Owner, President & CEO Dirk Leuenberger) with 101–250 employees and no disclosed external equity capital, acquisitions, or restructuring activity.
Aqua Star firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aqua Star
- Legal name
- Admiralty Island Fisheries, Inc.
- Website
- https://aquastar.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Aqua Star is a Seattle-based, privately-held frozen seafood producer founded in 1990 that sources premium shrimp, fish, crab, and specialty seafood from 17 countries and distributes branded and private-label products to top US and Canadian grocery chains and foodservice operators.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Aqua Star industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Frozen Seafood
- NAICS
- Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171), Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (42446)
- SIC
- Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Frozen Seafood Meals & Value-Added Seafood (CRADADAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Breaded/Battered & Fried Seafood Products (Frozen Convenience) (AFANADAH), Shellfish Value-Added Products (Shucked Oysters, Mussels, Clams; Cooked/Marinated) (AFANALAK)
Keywords
Where Aqua Star is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Aqua Star business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Wholesale Seafood Distribution: Aqua Star operates as a wholesale seafood company, supplying premium frozen seafood products to retail grocery chains, independent stores, and foodservice operators across North America.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Retail products sold through grocery stores |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Aqua Star product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aqua Star manufactures and distributes premium frozen seafood products including shrimp, fish, crab, and specialty seafood (lobster, scallops, calamari, mussels) in raw, cooked, breaded, battered, and marinated forms. The company also sells ready-to-cook and microwavable seafood meal lines (Skillet Meals, Smart Seafood Sauté, MicroSteam) to retail consumers through grocery chains and to restaurants and institutional foodservice operators through a dedicated wholesale division.
Product overview
Aqua Star is a privately-owned wholesale and retail frozen seafood company headquartered in Seattle, founded in 1990. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of frozen seafood products organized into core product categories (Shrimp, Fish, Crab, Specialty Seafood) and branded meal solutions (Skillet Meals, Smart Seafood Sauté, MicroSteam). The core product lines provide raw and prepared seafood in various formats (breaded, battered, marinated), while the meal brands offer ready-to-cook and microwavable convenience products. The company also operates a separate Canadian product line and supplies foodservice operators through dedicated B2B channels. The Seafood Forever program underpins the company's sustainability positioning across all product lines.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Seafood Forever®: The company's social and environmental responsibility program representing nearly three decades of investment in sustainability, traceability, social responsibility, and food safety.
- Smart Seafood Sautés®
- MicroSteam®
- Star Cut™
- Aqua Gold™
- Pure & Natural™ Sea Scallops
- Skillet Meals
Products and services
- Frozen Shrimp Premium frozen shrimp available in raw, cooked, shell-on, peeled, breaded, battered, skewered, and cocktail platter preparations, including Wild Patagonian Pink Shrimp, Wild Mexican Shrimp, and Black Tiger Shrimp. Sold at retail grocery chains and through the foodservice division.
- Frozen Fish Frozen fish fillets and portions including Wild Pacific Salmon, Alaskan Cod, Atlantic Haddock, Alaskan Pollock, Halibut, Mahi-Mahi, Tilapia, Swai, and Ahi Tuna, available as raw, marinated, breaded, or battered preparations.
- Frozen Crab Various crab species including King Crab, Snow Crab, Dungeness Crab, Red Deepsea Crab, and Blue Swimming Crab, available in-shell (including the Star Cut pre-cut format) and as pasteurized meat in various sizes.
- Specialty Seafood Premium specialty seafood including Cold Water Lobster, Calamari Rings & Tentacles, Sea Scallops (Pure & Natural and Reserve varieties), Mussels, and Seafood Medleys.
- Skillet Meals Ready-to-cook skillet meals featuring shrimp in various cuisines including Shrimp Scampi, Shrimp Primavera, Coconut Lime Shrimp, Sweet & Sour Shrimp, Sesame Shrimp, and Teriyaki Shrimp, designed to be ready in 10 minutes.
- Smart Seafood Sauté Ready-to-cook seafood dishes including Spanish Inspired Seafood Paella, Shrimp Scampi & Linguine, Kung Pao Shrimp, Sweet & Sour Shrimp, and Shrimp Primavera.
- MicroSteam Microwavable Seafood Bowls Microwavable seafood bowls featuring chef-inspired frozen seafood meals designed for quick microwave preparation, available in various seafood combinations.
- Foodservice Seafood Supply Wholesale foodservice product line supplying premium seafood in bulk to restaurants, hotels, and institutional foodservice operators, including shrimp, fish, crab, lobster, and specialty seafood in foodservice-appropriate packaging.
- Canadian Products Line Products specifically manufactured in Canada for Canadian customers, marked with a Made-in-Canada maple leaf icon, including shrimp pasta kits (Lemon Garlic Shrimp Linguine, Tomato & Herb Shrimp Penne, Creamy Alfredo Shrimp Fettuccine) and breaded/battered fish products.
Quantifiable outcome
- Nearly three decades of sustainability investment through Seafood Forever program
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Aqua Star
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Aqua Star technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Aqua Star partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Community CatchcoreAqua Star became the first North American member of Community Catch, a program designed specifically to promote and support small-scale fisheries toward sustainable certification. This partnership helps an often overlooked but important part of the seafood supply chain progress toward their sustainability goals.
- Sustainable Fisheries PartnershipcoreAqua Star participates in industry roundtables convened by the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership to engage fisheries in sustainability improvements and reduce environmental impact.
- Global Dialogue for Seafood Traceability (GDST)coreAqua Star is a member of GDST and has committed to adopting GDST standards into their supply chains to prevent illegal, unregulated, and unreported seafood.
- National Fisheries Institute Crab CouncilcoreAqua Star is a member of the NFI Crab Council, an association of U.S.-based seafood companies that sponsor global sustainability projects to improve crab fisheries.
- Social Risks in Seafood ConsortiumcoreAqua Star participates in the Social Risks in Seafood Consortium to address social responsibility issues throughout their supply chain.
- Project GigatonminorAqua Star participates in Project Gigaton, a program that allows them to calculate Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions associated with their products as part of their carbon accountability commitment.
- UniPro FoodservicecoreMajor foodservice buying organization and distributor. Named Aqua Star Seafood Supplier of the Year in 2023 and 2021.
- IMA FoodservicecoreFoodservice organization that awarded Aqua Star IMA Supplier of the Year in 2020 and Marketing Excellence Award in 2023.
- US FoodscoreMajor foodservice distributor. Aqua Star products featured at US Foods Seattle Immersion Event showcasing crab products.
- Shamrock FoodscoreFoodservice distributor that awarded Aqua Star the 2024 Sales & Marketing Excellence Award.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Aqua Star competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Clearwater Seafoods: Canadian shellfish specialist (scallops, lobster, clams, crab) selling branded frozen shellfish globally. Comparable to Aqua Star's specialty seafood and shellfish value-added portfolio and Canadian footprint.
- Trident Seafoods: One of the largest vertically integrated seafood companies in North America, supplying frozen retail and foodservice seafood (salmon, cod, crab, pollock). Comparable to Aqua Star as a frozen seafood processor and brand owner selling into the same US grocery and foodservice channels.
- Highliner Foods: North American frozen seafood leader selling branded and private-label frozen seafood (fish, shrimp, scallops) to retail and foodservice customers. Direct comparable to Aqua Star in product mix, channel strategy, and category positioning.
- SeaPak: Frozen prepared and breaded seafood brand focused on shrimp, fish, and value-added convenience products in US retail. Closely comparable to Aqua Star's breaded/battered seafood and ready-to-cook meal lines (MicroSteam, Smart Seafood Sautés).
- Gorton's: Iconic US frozen seafood brand offering prepared and breaded fish, shrimp, and seafood meals to retail grocers. Comparable to Aqua Star on retail frozen seafood shelf positioning, value-added meals, and broad-line fish/shrimp product mix.
- Pacific Seafood: Vertically integrated West Coast seafood company harvesting, processing, and distributing frozen seafood to retail and foodservice. Comparable to Aqua Star as a Seattle-based processor/distributor selling similar species into the same US retail and foodservice channels.
- Icelandic Seafood International (Icelandic Group): Vertically integrated Icelandic frozen seafood producer selling cod, haddock, and groundfish to European and North American retail and foodservice. Comparable to Aqua Star as a frozen seafood processor with strong sustainability credentials and broad-line product portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- Chicken of the Sea: Major branded seafood company (tuna, salmon, shrimp) owned by Thai Union, with broad retail presence. Overlaps with Aqua Star on retail branded frozen seafood shelf but operates a wider portfolio at much greater scale.
- Thai Union Group: Global seafood conglomerate owning Chicken of the Sea and many other seafood brands; operates in frozen, canned, and value-added seafood worldwide. Comparable to Aqua Star as a broader incumbent in value-added seafood rather than a direct competitor in the same niche.
- Bumble Bee Seafoods: Branded seafood company (canned tuna, salmon, sardines, frozen offerings) with US retail heritage. Comparable to Aqua Star on branded seafood retail presence, though more concentrated in canned categories than Aqua Star's frozen focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Aqua Star social profiles
Digital presenceAqua Star compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
Aqua Star financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aqua Star leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Aqua Star funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aqua Star M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Aqua Star
What does Aqua Star do?
Aqua Star manufactures and distributes premium frozen seafood products including shrimp, fish, crab, and specialty seafood (lobster, scallops, calamari, mussels) in raw, cooked, breaded, battered, and marinated forms. The company also sells ready-to-cook and microwavable seafood meal lines (Skillet Meals, Smart Seafood Sauté, MicroSteam) to retail consumers through grocery chains and to restaurants and institutional foodservice operators through a dedicated wholesale division.
Is Aqua Star a public or private company?
Aqua Star is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Aqua Star founded?
Aqua Star was founded in 1990. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Aqua Star based?
Aqua Star is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Aqua Star make money?
One revenue line is on record: wholesale Seafood Distribution.
Who are Aqua Star's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Clearwater Seafoods, Trident Seafoods, Highliner Foods, SeaPak, Gorton's, Pacific Seafood and Icelandic Seafood International (Icelandic Group). Broad incumbents are Chicken of the Sea, Thai Union Group and Bumble Bee Seafoods.
Does Aqua Star have an API?
No public API is recorded for Aqua Star.
What industry is Aqua Star in?
Aqua Star's product category is Frozen Seafood. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADADAG, Frozen Seafood Meals & Value-Added Seafood, with a secondary code of AFANADAH, Breaded/Battered & Fried Seafood Products (Frozen Convenience). Its NAICS code is 31171 and its SIC code is 2092.