Maine Lobster Now

What Maine Lobster Now does

Maine Lobster Now is a privately held, family-owned direct-to-consumer seafood e-commerce company founded by the Klenda family in approximately 1994 and headquartered in Maine. The company buys wild-caught lobster directly from Maine fishermen and sells live, fresh, and frozen seafood — including lobster, tails, meat, multiple crab varieties, shellfish, fresh fish, and prepared gourmet items — through its mainelobsternow.com Shopify storefront, shipping overnight via UPS and FedEx to all 50 U.S. states. Its core operational technology is a purpose-built facility with temperature-controlled tank systems, an in-house nitrogen freezing tunnel, and a dedicated Ready-to-Eat production room for lobster processing, portioning, and quality control. Revenue is generated through one-time product sales with tiered unit pricing (live lobsters from $34.99 to $289.99 by weight, lobster meat from $42 to $67 per pound), free overnight shipping on orders $150+, $40 flat-rate shipping below that threshold, and dedicated B2B channels covering corporate gifting for 10+ recipient orders and restaurant wholesale accounts in southern Maine. Distribution is omnichannel across the Shopify site, social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube), and email/SMS, supported by 17,000+ verified Judge.me reviews and a 2024 USA TODAY feature that anchor the brand in a niche but high-AOV category.

Name

Maine Lobster Now

Legal name

Maine Lobster Now

Website

https://mainelobsternow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Seafood Retail

NAICS

Fish and Seafood Retailers (445250), Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (42446), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Seafood Markets & Fishmongers (CRAHAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Shellfish Wholesale (Crustaceans & Mollusks) (AFAIADAF), Frozen Seafood Meals & Value-Added Seafood (CRADADAG), Shellfish Processing (Shrimp, Crab, Lobster, Mollusks) (AFANADAC)

Keywords

• Online seafood delivery
• Maine lobster sales
• Fresh seafood e-commerce
• Lobster and crab retail
• Prepared seafood meals

Headquarters

HQ city

Saco

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, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Product Sales: One-time purchase model for live lobsters, lobster tails, lobster meat, crab, shellfish, fish, and prepared foods sold directly through mainelobsternow.com. Customers select products, quantities, and delivery date at checkout.
2. Overnight Shipping Fees: Free overnight shipping on orders $150+; $40 flat rate for orders under $150. Physical gift cards ship with $20 flat rate priority overnight shipping.
3. Corporate Gifting: Bulk corporate gifting services for 10+ recipients including custom messages, curated seafood selections, and bulk gift card orders for businesses.
4. Restaurant/Wholesale Bulk Orders: Bulk lobster and seafood orders for restaurants, including temperature-controlled tank systems for maintaining live lobster quality at commercial establishments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Maine Lobster Now is a direct-to-consumer e-commerce seafood retailer that buys live lobsters directly from Maine fishermen and ships fresh, frozen, and prepared seafood overnight to customers in all 50 U.S. states. The company operates an in-house Ready-to-Eat production facility with nitrogen freezing technology that processes lobster tails, lobster meat, and a broad assortment of crab, shellfish, fish, and prepared gourmet items, supported by chef-authored cooking guides and recipe content.

Product overview

Maine Lobster Now is an online seafood delivery company specializing in premium Maine lobster and seafood products shipped directly to customers nationwide. The company operates as an e-commerce platform offering a diverse portfolio of live, fresh, and frozen seafood products. The core offerings center on live Maine lobsters (sourced from Maine's pristine waters) and lobster tails, complemented by fresh and frozen lobster meat prepared in-house using nitrogen freezing technology. The product portfolio extends to various crab products (King Crab, Snow Crab, Stone Crab, Dungeness Crab, Jonah Crab), shellfish (scallops, clams, mussels, oysters, shrimp), fresh fish (haddock, cod, halibut, salmon, tuna), prepared gourmet items (lobster bisque, clam chowder, lobster mac & cheese, lobster roll kits), Maine specialty foods (Jordan's Red Hot Dogs, Kate's Butter, Labadie's Whoopie Pies, Pineland Farms corn), partner sauces from Stonewall Kitchen, and seafood preparation supplies. The company also offers gift cards (digital and physical) and corporate gifting services. All products are shipped overnight using temperature-controlled packaging with cold packs or dry ice to ensure freshness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Maine Lobster
• Maine Lobster Tails
• Fresh Lobster Meat
• Frozen Lobster Meat
• Maine Lobster Roll Kit (6-Pack)
• Lobster Mac & Cheese
• Lobster Bisque
• Colossal Red King Crab Legs
• Alaskan Snow Crab (Bairdi) Clusters
• Canadian Snow Crab (Opilio) Clusters
• Stone Crab Claws
• Alaskan Dungeness Crab Clusters
• Jonah Crab Leg Meat (Peekytoe)
• Jonah Crab Cakes
• Fresh Maine Scallops
• Large Dry Dayboat Scallops
• Gulf of Maine Steamer Clams
• Maine Littleneck Clams
• Bangs Island Maine Mussels
• Fresh Maine Oysters
• Colossal Black Tiger Prawns
• Pacific White Raw Shrimp
• Wild-Caught Icelandic Haddock Fillets
• Wild-Caught Halibut Fillet
• Ora King Salmon
• Wild-Caught Alaskan Sockeye Salmon
• Wester Ross Atlantic Salmon
• Regal New Zealand King Salmon (Maple Wood Smoked)
• Regal New Zealand King Salmon (Beech Wood Smoked)
• Regal New Zealand King Salmon (Manuka Wood Smoked)
• Fresh Maine Bluefin Tuna Loin
• Wild-Caught Yellowfin Ahi Tuna
• New England Clam Chowder
• Haddock Chowder
• Smoked Finnan Haddie
• Kinnealey Meats USDA Prime Black Angus Filet Mignon
• Kinnealey Meats USDA Prime Black Angus Boneless Ribeye
• Jordan's Red Hot Dogs
• Hickory Smoked Lobster Dip
• Lobster Ravioli (Lilly's)
• eGift Card
• Physical Gift Card
• Corporate Seafood Gifts
• Snow Crab Roll Kit

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UPS and FedExcoreOthersPrimary shipping partners for overnight delivery of seafood nationwide. FedEx and UPS handle all order fulfillment with temperature-controlled packaging.
• Judge.mecoreTechnology or IntegrationVerified reviews platform providing 17,000+ customer reviews with Diamond verification badges including Top 1% Shops and authentic review certification.
• NOAA FishWatchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOAA FishWatch certification ensures sustainable sourcing and traceability of wild-caught seafood products.
• BAP (Best Aquaculture Practices)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAP certification for aquaculture products ensuring rigorous environmental standards for sustainably raised shrimp and seafood.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lobster Gram: Long-running DTC lobster gift company shipping live lobster and seafood gift packages. Closely comparable on the gifting-focused online lobster delivery use case and price points.
• Vital Choice Wild Seafood: Direct-to-consumer wild-caught seafood retailer (salmon, shellfish, finfish) with nationwide shipping. Comparable on DTC premium wild-seafood positioning, sustainability messaging, and overnight cold-chain.
• Lobster Anywhere: Online lobster delivery company shipping live and frozen lobster directly to consumers. Closely comparable on product mix (live lobster, tails, meat) and overnight DTC shipping model.
• Get Maine Lobster: Direct-to-consumer online Maine lobster and seafood retailer with overnight shipping nationwide. Competes head-to-head with MLN in live lobster DTC, gift kits, and the Maine-seafood category.
• Wild Alaskan Company: Subscription-based DTC wild-caught seafood company with nationwide shipping. Comparable on online seafood delivery, sustainability/traceability storytelling, and direct-from-fishermen sourcing model.
• ButcherBox: Subscription DTC premium protein company (meat and seafood) with nationwide shipping. Comparable on the premium DTC protein delivery model, content marketing, and broad product portfolio.
• SeaBear Wild Salmon & Seafood: Pacific Northwest DTC seafood company specializing in wild-caught smoked salmon and seafood gifts with nationwide shipping. Comparable on the gift-driven DTC seafood model and overnight shipping.

Broad incumbents

• Clearwater Seafoods: Large vertically-integrated shellfish (lobster, scallops, clams) harvester and processor with global wholesale and DTC channels. Overlaps MLN on shellfish sourcing, processing capability, and premium seafood.
• Fulton Fish Market: Iconic NYC-based seafood operation now offering nationwide online ordering of fresh fish and seafood. A larger incumbent with broader seafood portfolio that overlaps MLN's DTC and wholesale customers.

Regional players

• Cape Cod Shellfish & Seafood Co. Regional New England seafood wholesaler and retailer serving Cape Cod and broader Northeast. Comparable on product mix (lobster, shellfish, finfish) and B2B/wholesale seafood model, though geographic overlap with MLN's southern Maine accounts is limited.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/mainelobsternow
• Facebookfacebook.com/mainelobsternow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mainelobsternow
• Instagraminstagram.com/mainelobsternow
• TikToktiktok.com/@mainelobsternow

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Maine Lobster Now