Heartland Catfish

What Heartland Catfish does

Heartland Catfish Company, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned U.S. farm-raised catfish processor headquartered in Itta Bena, Mississippi. Founded in 1996 by William Tackett, his son Jim Tackett and son-in-law Joe Walker, the company is owned by the Tackett family and operates a vertically integrated supply chain anchored by Tackett Fish Farms (7,500 acres of water, 10,000 acres of cropland), which supplies approximately 50% of the catfish Heartland processes. The company produces 55+ million pounds of live catfish annually through a 135,000-square-foot processing facility with an industry-leading 25,000-lb-per-hour IQF freezing capacity and a 75-million-pound annual processing ceiling.

The company's product portfolio spans fresh and frozen catfish in retail and food-service formats: fresh vacuum-sealed fillets, individually quick-frozen fillets, frozen nuggets, strips, splits, whole fish, and value-added hand-breaded portion fillets (including a 3-5oz SKU). Distribution is domestic-only and runs through major grocery retailers, the in-house trucking fleet, and direct sales to independent and chain restaurants. Heartland is the first and only U.S. seafood product certified to strict USDA food-safety and hazard-control standards, and U.S. farm-raised catfish carries a Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch 'Best Choice' rating, both of which the company uses to differentiate domestic product from imported substitutes.

Heartland makes money through wholesale and food-service sales of fresh and frozen catfish SKUs at quote-based, non-publicly disclosed prices. Go-to-market combines enterprise field sales (VP of Sales and Marketing Jonathan Mills, plus industry trade shows) with consumer-facing brand-building via recipes, social media, and The Catfish Institute partnership. Ownership remains entirely within the Tackett family (CEO Danny Walker is a son-in-law of the founder), with no institutional, PE or public ownership indicated. Revenue, EBITDA and headcount trends beyond the disclosed production metrics are not publicly available.

Name

Heartland Catfish

Legal name

Heartland Catfish Company, Inc.

Website

https://heartlandcatfish.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Heartland Catfish is a family-owned, vertically integrated U.S. farm-raised catfish processor in Itta Bena, Mississippi, producing 55+ million pounds annually of fresh and frozen fillets, nuggets and value-added breaded products for grocery retailers and food-service operators nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Itta Bena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fresh Catfish Products: Heartland sells fresh catfish products including fresh fillets to retailers and food service customers. Fresh products are shipped on ice to maintain quality.
2. Frozen Catfish Products: Frozen catfish products including frozen fillets, frozen nuggets, and value-added products like hand-breaded fillets. Frozen inventory helps balance supply during live fish shortages.
3. Wholesale/Retail Distribution: B2B sales to major grocery retailers, independent restaurants, and food service operators. Products sold wholesale to retailers for consumer purchase.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Heartland Catfish Company is a vertically integrated U.S. farm-raised catfish producer and processor that supplies fresh and frozen catfish products—including fillets, nuggets, splits, strips, whole catfish, and pre-breaded portion fillets—to retail grocery chains and food service/restaurant operators across the United States. The company manages the entire lifecycle from hatchery and pond raising through harvesting, processing, and distribution, operating a 135,000-square-foot processing facility capable of more than 55 million pounds of live catfish production annually.

Product overview

Heartland Catfish Company offers a portfolio of U.S. farm-raised catfish products distributed as fresh and frozen options to retail grocery stores and food service/restaurant customers. The core product line consists of fresh fillets, frozen fillets, and frozen nuggets available at grocery stores nationwide. The wholesale product portfolio includes additional cuts such as fillets, splits, strips, and whole catfish for food service and restaurant buyers. Pre-breaded value-added products like Hand-Breaded Style Portion Fillets and Hand-Breaded Style 3-5oz Fillets round out the product offering for convenient meal preparation. The company manages its catfish supply from egg to harvest, producing consistently mild and sweet-flavored catfish through controlled feeding with high-protein, grain-based floating feed.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Frozen Fillets Individually quick frozen (IQF) catfish fillets frozen within minutes of processing to preserve freshness, mild flavor, and firm texture. Sold through retail grocery frozen food aisles to consumers nationwide.
• Frozen Nuggets Frozen catfish nugget products available in grocery store frozen food sections for convenient family meal preparation.
• Fresh Fillets Fresh catfish fillets vacuum sealed for retail sale at grocery store seafood departments, shipped on ice to maintain quality.
• Fillets (Wholesale) Standard catfish fillet cuts for wholesale distribution to food service operators and restaurants.
• Splits Split catfish products for wholesale buyers and food service preparation.
• Strips Catfish strip cuts for wholesale distribution to food service operators.
• Whole Catfish Whole catfish products for wholesale and food service distribution.
• Hand-Breaded Style Portion Fillets Pre-breaded portioned catfish fillets for easy preparation by food service operators and consumers.
• Hand-Breaded Style 3-5oz Fillets Pre-breaded catfish fillets sized 3-5oz for convenient cooking by food service operators and consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Produces over 55 million pounds of live catfish per year
• +2 more outcomes

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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tackett Fish FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTackett Fish Farms is the foundational partner, supplying 50% of catfish processed at Heartland. The family farming operation (7,500 acres of water for catfish, 10,000 acres of cropland) laid the foundation for Heartland Catfish Company and is owned by the Tackett Family. Tackett Fish Farms began in the 1970s and provides vertically integrated supply for the processor.
• Viking Cooking SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsored the Heartland Catfish Culinary Contest with Viking Cooking School and The Catfish Institute. Chef Loren Leflore from Viking Cooking School prepared winning recipes in cooking tutorials.
• The Catfish InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Catfish Institute (TCI) was founded to raise consumer awareness about U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish benefits. TCI was the first in the seafood industry to develop and implement a quality control program. Heartland products are featured on the Catfish Trail restaurant guide.
• Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMission to promote responsible aquaculture through education, advocacy and demonstration.
• Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld's most trusted, comprehensive and proven third-party aquaculture certification program supporting sustainable aquaculture practices.
• Catfish Farmers of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit trade association that aims to develop, stimulate and encourage harmony, goodwill and understanding among catfish farmers and promote the general welfare of the U.S. catfish industry.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iheartcatfish
• Facebookfacebook.com/iHeartCatfish
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heartland-catfish-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/heartlandcatfishco

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Heartland Catfish