Sea Queen

What Sea Queen does

Sea Queen srl is an Italian private limited company that imports frozen seafood from producers on five continents and distributes it through four channels in Italy: horeca (hotels, restaurants, cafés), catering, wholesalers, and large supermarket chains. Founded in 2010, the company is headquartered in Milan with operational offices in Genoa and a dedicated cold-storage warehouse at Eurofrigo Vernate. Its sourcing footprint spans Thailand, Indonesia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, South Africa, Iceland, Spain, Tunisia, China, and India, with an exclusive Thai distribution partnership through King Fisher and complementary supply from Spain (New Concisa) and South Africa (Talhado).

The company's product architecture is organized around four registered proprietary brands serving different channels and packaging formats: Mr. Cool (bagged products for catering and retail), Blue Vessel (master cartons for catering and horeca), King Fisher (premium Thai seafood for quality restaurants, catering, and retail), and Black Hook (master cartons for large-scale catering distribution). The portfolio covers cod, squid, cuttlefish, shrimp, octopus, surimi, red mullet, tilapia, clams, and value-added prepared items, with full batch and expiration traceability.

The business model is B2B trading and brokering of commodity frozen seafood, with revenue generated through one-off sales of imported product into Italian distribution channels. The company operates a dual trader/broker model via its partnership with Balestrero 1961 (a family intermediary business dating to 1961), allowing Sea Queen to act as either principal or intermediary. Product safety and quality rely on supplier-side certifications including HACCP, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22000, ISO/IEC 17025, GMP, BRC, Friends of the Sea, and EFSIS. The firm has 11–50 employees, €100,000 in share capital, and no disclosed funding, M&A, or technology platform beyond standard e-commerce and email tooling.

Name

Sea Queen

Legal name

Sea Queen srl

Website

https://seaqueen.site

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sea Queen srl is an Italian importer and distributor of frozen seafood, founded in 2010, sourcing from producers across five continents and selling through four proprietary brands into horeca, catering, wholesale, and large retail channels in Italy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seafood Distribution

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Seafood Wholesale (Fresh & Frozen) (AFAIADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Shellfish Wholesale (Crustaceans & Mollusks) (AFAIADAF), Surimi & Minced Fish Products (Imitation Crab, Fish Paste) (AFANADAG), Frozen Seafood Meals & Value-Added Seafood (CRADADAG), Shellfish Value-Added Products (Shucked Oysters, Mussels, Clams; Cooked/Marinated) (AFANALAK)

Keywords

• Frozen seafood distribution
• Seafood import wholesale
• Horeca seafood supply
• Catering frozen fish
• Cold chain logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Genova

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Frozen Seafood Import and Distribution: Sea Queen imports frozen seafood products from worldwide suppliers and distributes them through horeca, catering, wholesaler, and retail channels. The company also acts as a broker, facilitating relationships between customers and producers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Core offering

Sea Queen srl is an Italian frozen seafood importer and distributor that sources fish, squid, cuttlefish, shrimp, octopus, clams, surimi, and value-added seafood from certified producers in Thailand, Indonesia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, South Africa, Iceland, Spain, Tunisia, India, China, and Morocco. The company distributes these products to the Italian market through horeca, catering, wholesalers, and large supermarket chains under its proprietary brands (Mr. Cool, Blue Vessel, King Fisher, Black Hook) and partner brands. Sea Queen also acts as a broker through its partnership with Balestrero 1961, connecting Italian and international clients with producers.

Product overview

Sea Queen is a frozen seafood importer and distributor operating primarily in the Italian market through the horeca, catering, wholesale, and large supermarket chain channels. The company operates four distinct frozen seafood brands: Mr. Cool (bagged products for catering and retail), Blue Vessel (master carton products for catering and horeca), King Fisher (exclusive distribution of premium Thai frozen seafood for quality restaurants, catering, and retail), and Black Hook (master carton products for large-scale catering distribution). These brands are complemented by additional supplier-branded products including Canadian surimi, South African squid, and Spanish seafood from partner New Concisa. The portfolio spans cod, squid, sepia, shrimp, octopus, red mullet, tilapia, and clams sourced from Thailand, Iceland, South Africa, Spain, India, China, Morocco, and other origins worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mr. Cool: Frozen quality product packaged in bags for specific sales in catering and retail channels.
• Blue Vessel
• King Fisher
• Black Hook

Products and services

• Mr. Cool

Quantifiable outcome

• Products sourced from Thailand, Indonesia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, South Africa, Iceland, Spain, Tunisia and other regions
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Balestrero 1961coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Balestrero 1961 enables Sea Queen to offer both trading and brokering services. Balestrero has operated since 1961 as a prominent broker in frozen meat and seafood trade, representing a connection point between customers and producers in Italy and internationally.
• King Fisher (Thailand)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSea Queen is the exclusive distributor of King Fisher's frozen seafood products from Thailand. King Fisher is a leading Thai company that guarantees certified quality frozen seafood and value-added products. This multi-decade partnership is based on mutual respect and product quality.
• New Concisa (Spain)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpanish company recognized as a symbol of reliability and quality. Sea Queen distributes their products including cuttlefish and squid from Morocco origin, swordfish from Azores, and cooked giant squid from Pacific.
• Talhado (South Africa)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSouth African shipowner and producer of first quality. Sea Queen imports the famous 'loligo reynaudi' CJ squid in various sizes from South Africa.
• Eurofrigo VernatecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCold storage warehouse facility used by Sea Queen for frozen product storage. The facility maintains quality standards proven by its certifications.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Findus Italia: Italian arm of Nomad Foods' frozen seafood and prepared foods brand. Competes for supermarket shelf space and consumer demand in the same Italian frozen seafood category.
• Thai Union Group: Global seafood conglomerate (Chicken of the Sea, John West, King Oscar) with European distribution and own-brand presence. Comparable upstream position to King Fisher and a potential competitive threat if it expands direct EU sales.
• Mowi ASA: World's largest Atlantic salmon producer with growing European value-added processing and distribution footprint. Relevant as a benchmark for seafood sourcing scale, certifications (ASC), and European horeca/retail servicing.
• Clearwater Seafoods: Canadian seafood harvester and processor with global distribution of shellfish (clam, scallop, lobster) and other species. Comparable in vertically-integrated frozen seafood supply and multi-region sourcing strategy.
• Nomad Foods: European frozen food giant (Birds Eye, Iglo, Findus) with massive scale in frozen seafood and adjacent categories. Represents the long-term competitive ceiling and benchmark for European frozen seafood scale economics.

Direct peers

• Pescanova: Spanish seafood company with extensive frozen seafood portfolio distributed across European retail and foodservice channels. Comparable in offering breadth (cephalopods, fish, shellfish) and reliance on multi-country sourcing.
• Bolton Food: Italian-headquartered seafood and food company (Rio Mare, Saupiquet) with deep penetration in Italian horeca, catering, and retail. Operates as a competitor for shelf space and horeca accounts against Sea Queen's branded and private-label frozen seafood.
• Italgel: Italian frozen foods company (gelati, seafood, prepared foods) supplying Italian retail and foodservice. Comparable channel coverage and scale tier to Sea Queen in the Italian market.
• Mareblu: Italian frozen seafood brand and distributor competing directly in supermarket chains and horeca channels with tuna, sardine, and other seafood SKUs. Closely comparable channel mix and Italian-only geographic footprint.

Regional players

• New Concisa: Spanish seafood supplier (cuttlefish, squid, swordfish, giant squid) named as a Sea Queen partner. Comparable in product mix and European-market focus; primarily upstream supplier but represents the same competitive set in Italian distribution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Sea Queen