Ocean Garden Products

What Ocean Garden Products does

Ocean Garden Products, Inc. is a privately held seafood importing, exporting, and sales company founded in 1957 by a cooperative of Mexican shrimp boat owners and headquartered in San Diego, California. The company has grown into one of the largest seafood importers in the United States, sourcing wild and farm-raised shrimp from Mexico, the U.S. Gulf, Central and South America, India, and Indonesia, and extending into calamari, Spanish octopus, and canned abalone through partnerships (notably DISCEFA for Spanish octopus). Its branded portfolio spans premium and standard tiers — including Ocean Garden Authentic Mexican Shrimp, Pride of Mexico, Ocean Star Gold, Ocean Star, Fiesta Garden, Asian Garden, Compass, Ocean Shell, and Mark — plus a value-added retail SKU (Jalapeño Wrapped Butterfly Shrimp).

Underpinning the business is a proprietary barcode-based traceability program that tracks 100% of Mexican shrimp imported into the U.S. from processing plant through lot, warehouse, truck, and shipping method, supported by HACCP-compliant processing, FDA 21 CFR Part 11 / Bioterrorism Act compliance, and an active Fishery Improvement Project with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership targeting MSC certification. Ocean Garden sells through dedicated regional sales offices (corporate San Diego, East in Rutherford NJ, West in Orange CA) and a Mexico operations hub, with sales agents covering Asia and Hawaii; products reach end users via foodservice distributors, restaurant chains, and supermarket chains across both foodservice and retail segments.

The go-to-market is enterprise field sales with B2B pricing that is not publicly disclosed, no digital ordering platform or app, and marketing conducted through a content-driven website, organic social (Instagram, Facebook), and sustainability/traceability educational resources. Leadership includes President/CEO Celso Lopez (appointed February 2020 after 17 years as CFO), VP of Sales and Marketing Jim Charters (39-year tenure), Treasurer Christina Creighton, and Mexico Director Leonardo Valero, reflecting a closely held, management-stable operating company with no disclosed private equity or venture capital ownership.

Name

Ocean Garden Products

Legal name

Ocean Garden Products, Inc.

Website

https://oceangarden.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ocean Garden Products is a privately held U.S. seafood importer founded in 1957 that sources, brands, and distributes premium shrimp (Mexican, U.S. Gulf, Central/South American, Asian) plus calamari, octopus, and abalone to foodservice distributors, restaurant chains, and supermarket chains through regional sales offices and a barcode-based traceability program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seafood Importing and Distribution

NAICS

Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (3117), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (311710)

SIC

Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAEAAAC

Crustacean Farming (e.g., shrimp, prawns, crab)

Agriculture & Food Production/Animal Production & Aquaculture/Aquaculture (Fish & Shellfish Farming)

SECONDARYAFANALAE

Marinated & Seasoned Seafood (Value-Added Raw/Par-Cooked)

Agriculture & Food Production/Meat, Poultry & Seafood Processing/Value-Added Seafood Products (Fillets, Ready-to-Eat)

SECONDARYCRAHAHAC

Seafood Markets & Fishmongers

Consumer Products & Retail/Grocery & Food Retail/Fresh Food Specialists (Produce, Meat, Seafood)

Keywords

• Seafood import
• Shrimp distribution
• Foodservice supply
• Seafood wholesale
• Traceable seafood

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Seafood Import and Sales: Ocean Garden Products is a privately held seafood importing, exporting and sales company. Products are sold to foodservice distributors serving restaurant and retail trade, restaurant chains, and supermarket chains.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ocean Garden Products is a privately held seafood importing, exporting, and sales company specializing in premium shrimp and related seafood products. Founded in 1957 by Mexican shrimp boat owners, the company sources, imports, and distributes wild and farm-raised Mexican shrimp, U.S. Gulf domestic shrimp, Central/South American shrimp, Asian shrimp, calamari, octopus, and abalone to foodservice distributors, restaurant chains, and supermarket chains across North America. Its flagship product, Ocean Garden Authentic Mexican Shrimp, is supported by a proprietary 100% barcode-based traceability program that tracks each product from origin through processing plant to end-user.

Product overview

Ocean Garden Products is a seafood importing company specializing in premium shrimp and related seafood products. The product portfolio includes the flagship Ocean Garden Authentic Mexican Shrimp (wild and farm-raised) as the core offering, complemented by Pride of Mexico retail shrimp, Ocean Star/Ocean Star Gold domestic U.S. Gulf shrimp, Fiesta Garden Central and South American shrimp, Asian Garden shrimp, and value brands (Mark, Ocean Shell). Non-shrimp offerings include Spanish Octopus (via DISCEFA partnership) and Calamari. The company also offers Jalapeño Wrapped Butterfly Shrimp as a processed value-added appetizer product. Supporting services include a proprietary traceability program using barcode technology. Products are sold through foodservice distributors and retail channels to restaurants and supermarket chains.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pride of Mexico: Premium Mexican Shrimp brand featuring both wild and farm-raised products from Mexico
• Ocean Star Gold
• Ocean Star
• Fiesta Garden
• Compass
• Ocean Shell
• Mark
• Asian Garden
• Jalapeno Wrapped Butterfly Shrimp

Products and services

• Ocean Garden Authentic Mexican Shrimp Flagship product line of premium wild and farm-raised Mexican shrimp sold to foodservice distributors, restaurant chains, and supermarket chains; positioned as Ocean Garden's guarantee of quality, consistency, and environmental sustainability.
• Pride of Mexico Shrimp Premium grade Mexican shrimp available in raw peeled & deveined tail-on (IQF), EZ Peel tail-on, and cooked presentations in various sizes from wild and farm sources, distributed for retail channels.
• Ocean Star US Domestic Wild Shrimp Premium and standard quality wild shrimp from the US Gulf, available in brown and white varieties, harvested by freezer boats for optimum freshness and firm texture, sold to foodservice and retail buyers.
• Ocean Star Gold Premium Wild U.S. Domestic Shrimp Highest quality domestic wild shrimp from the U.S. Gulf with less than 5% broken pieces, featuring exceptional texture and flavor characteristic of wild-caught shrimp.
• Fiesta Garden Central and South American White Shrimp Standard grade Central and South American white shrimp sourced from Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru, with uniform sizing for foodservice portion control.
• Asian Garden White Shrimp Premium grade Asian white shrimp from India and Indonesia, farm-raised and available in headless shell-on, E-Z Peel, and P&D tail-on/off presentations for foodservice and retail buyers.
• Jalapeño Wrapped Butterfly Shrimp Ready-to-cook appetizer featuring whole butterfly shrimp wrapped in jalapeño with cheddar or cream cheese and crispy breading, individually quick frozen for freshness, sold through retail channels.
• Calamari Premium grade individually quick frozen tenderized calamari steaks from squid (Ommastrephes Bartrami and Dosidicus Gigas species), sourced wild from China, Taiwan, and Spain.
• Spanish Octopus Premium quality whole octopus from Spain distributed in partnership with DISCEFA, available in various sizes from 2-4 lb to 8-12 lb for the U.S. market.
• Compass Premium Mexican Brown Shrimp Premium brand of Mexican wild brown shrimp (P. californiensis) known for robust flavor, firm texture, and large sizes, serving as a premium Mexican brown-shrimp option.
• Ocean Shell Standard Mexican Brown Shrimp Standard grade Mexican wild brown shrimp packed under the Ocean Shell brand for value-tier foodservice applications.
• Mark Standard Mexican White Shrimp Standard grade Mexican white shrimp under the Mark brand, offering consistent quality at a value price point for foodservice operators.
• Calmex Canned Abalone Mexican and Australian canned abalone sold under the Calmex brand as a specialty seafood offering.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of Mexican Shrimp imported by Ocean Garden into the U.S. is traceable from processing plant to end-user
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DISCEFA (Ditusa)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDISCEFA is an international wholesale octopus seafood supplier and distributor with clients in more than 35 countries. Based on Total Quality Management principles, DISCEFA focuses on achieving excellence through careful selection of highest quality seafood, highly technological processes, and commitment to selective and sustainable fishing. The partnership brings the highest quality octopus in the world to the most demanding customers in the U.S. through Ocean Garden's distribution network.
• Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOcean Garden is working with Sustainable Fisheries Partnership to improve the sustainability of shrimp and actively participates in the Shrimp Supply Chain Roundtable, cooperating with others to improve the sustainability of the Mexican Shrimp Fishery. Ocean Garden also supports Fishery Improvement Projects (FIP) with trawlers toward MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certification.
• Ocean TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOcean Garden has been a long-standing supporter and contributor to Ocean Trust as an Oceans Partner member supporting the vision of a positive approach to conservation.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Wild Planet Foods: Wild Planet is a sustainably sourced canned seafood brand with strong retail presence. Comparable in sustainability-driven positioning and traceability messaging, though smaller and consumer-retail led rather than foodservice-led.

Broad incumbents

• Chicken of the Sea: Chicken of the Sea (owned by Thai Union) markets shelf-stable and frozen seafood including shrimp, salmon, and tuna across US retail and foodservice. Comparable as a competitor in branded retail shrimp and a partner in private-label supply.
• Bumble Bee Seafoods: Bumble Bee is a shelf-stable seafood brand (tuna, salmon, sardines) under new ownership with ongoing operational restructuring. Indirect peer with overlapping foodservice and retail seafood distribution channels.
• High Liner Foods: High Liner is a public North American seafood company focused on frozen seafood for retail and foodservice. Broader and larger than Ocean Garden, but overlapping in foodservice shrimp and value-added seafood distribution.
• Thai Union Group: Thai Union is a global seafood conglomerate (Chicken of the Sea, Genki, Sealect) operating at much greater scale. Competes with Ocean Garden in shrimp supply for foodservice and retail, particularly in private-label and branded shrimp.
• Clearwater Seafoods: Clearwater harvests and markets premium shellfish, scallops, lobster, and clams globally. Comparable in premium seafood positioning, sustainability certifications, and focus on traceable wild-caught products, though diversified into shellfish rather than shrimp.

Direct peers

• Sea Watch International: Sea Watch International produces breaded and canned clam and seafood products for foodservice and retail, with sourcing and processing operations. Comparable in mid-sized US seafood processing, value-added product focus, and foodservice distribution.
• Mazzetta Company: Mazzetta is a US-based seafood importer, processor, and distributor of shrimp, scallops, lobster, and finfish with strong foodservice presence. Direct competitor with a similar multi-origin sourcing footprint and value-added product focus.
• Trident Seafoods: Trident is one of the largest US vertically integrated seafood companies, harvesting and processing wild seafood and selling into retail and foodservice channels. Comparable in scale ambition, US foodservice/retail distribution model, and breadth of frozen seafood products.
• Pacific Seafood: Pacific Seafood is a vertically integrated family-owned seafood harvester, processor, and distributor based in the US West Coast. Like Ocean Garden, it sells through foodservice and retail channels with regional sales infrastructure and premium positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/oceangardenseafood
• Instagraminstagram.com/oceangardenseafood/?hl=en
• Xx.com/ocean_garden
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ocean-garden-products

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Ocean Garden Products