Noordzee International

What Noordzee International does

Noordzee International B.V. is a privately held Dutch frozen seafood distributor, trader, and supplier headquartered in Urk, Netherlands. Founded in 2001 by Lubbert Korf and Jan de Munnik, the company specializes in the import, export, and distribution of frozen fish products with a focus on North Sea flatfish (Dover sole, plaice, turbot, brill, dab, lemon sole, flounder, yellowfin sole), complemented by round fish (cod, Alaska pollack, mackerel, redfish, red gurnard), shellfish (crab claws, langoustines, razor clams), Mediterranean aquaculture (sea bass and sea bream from Turkey), and an Added Value line of breaded, battered, pre-fried, stuffed, and Italian-style (Mugnaia) processed products. The company is recognized as one of the largest flatfish exporters to Italy and broader Europe, with distribution extended to the USA and the Middle East, serving 100+ clients across retail chains, wholesalers, importers, caterers, and institutional buyers.

The business operates a B2B model with quote-based pricing and direct sales engagement, supported by 25 full-time and 50 part-time employees and 2,000 pallets of cold storage capacity across two facilities. Core processing capability centers on an in-house CO2 Cascade freezing system that brings fish to a -18°C core temperature within 3-4 minutes while minimizing moisture loss and preserving glazing. The company holds a broad stack of food-safety and sustainability certifications, including ISO 22000, IFS, HACCP, MSC, Responsible Fishing Scheme, Friends of the Sea, GLOBALG.A.P., and ETI Principles Supporter status. In 2025 the company initiated Project PinBot, a co-development effort with VCU Robotics and Wageningen University & Research (co-funded by EFRO) to develop X-ray-based robotic pinbone detection for salmon fillets, with commercial launch targeted for 2026.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time B2B sales of frozen seafood products, with stated annual turnover of approximately €100M. The company does not disclose a public cap table, investor base, or M&A history, and operates without a parent company or subsidiaries. Customer engagement is driven by direct phone contact, website quote requests, and email, with a sales-led go-to-market emphasizing personal attention, product quality, sustainability credentials, and value-added processing flexibility.

Name

Noordzee International

Legal name

Noordzee International B.V.

Website

https://noordzeeinternational.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Noordzee International is a Dutch privately held frozen seafood distributor founded in 2001 in Urk, Netherlands, supplying 100+ retail, wholesale, import, catering, and institutional buyers across Europe, the USA, and the Middle East with €100M annual turnover in wild-caught, aquaculture, and value-added fish products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seafood Distribution and Processing

NAICS

Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171), Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (424460)

SIC

Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092)

akta.pro primary industry

Frozen Meat, Poultry & Seafood Manufacturing (AFAKACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fresh & Frozen Seafood Fillets (Portioned, Skinless/Boneless) (AFANALAA), Frozen Meat, Poultry & Seafood Wholesale (AFAIAHAF), Freezing & Cold-Chain Seafood Processing (IQF, Blast Freezing, Glazing) (AFANADAE), Frozen Seafood Meals & Value-Added Seafood (CRADADAG)

Keywords

• Frozen seafood distribution
• Wild catch fish
• Aquaculture products
• Value-added seafood
• Flatfish export

Headquarters

HQ city

Urk

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Frozen Seafood Products: B2B sales of frozen fish products including wild catch, aquaculture, and value-added seafood to retail chains, wholesalers, importers, caterers, and institutional buyers. Products include flatfish, shellfish, and processed seafood with annual turnover of €100 million.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Noordzee International B.V. is a B2B frozen seafood trading, processing, and distribution company that sources, processes, and supplies wild catch (North Sea flatfish, round fish, and shellfish), aquaculture (sea bass, sea bream), and value-added products (breaded, battered, pre-fried, and stuffed fillets) to retail chains, wholesalers, importers, caterers, and institutional buyers across Europe, the USA, and the Middle East. The company operates two cold-storage facilities with 2,000 pallet capacity and applies in-house CO2 Cascade freezing to preserve product quality.

Product overview

Noordzee International is a frozen seafood supplier offering three main product categories: Wild Catch (North Sea flatfish, round fish, and shellfish), Added Value (pre-processed and breaded products), and Aquaculture (farm-raised Mediterranean species). The Wild Catch portfolio includes premium flatfish such as Dover Sole, Plaice, Turbot, Brill, DAB, Lemon Sole, Flounder, and Yellowfin Sole; round fish including Cod, Alaska Pollack, Mackerel, Redfish, and Red Gurnard; and shellfish including Crab Claws, Langoustines, and Razor Clams. The Added Value line features Battered Fish Fillets, Breaded Fish Fillets, Mugnaia Fish Fillets, Pre-fried Fish Fillets, and Stuffed Fish Fillets for foodservice convenience. The Aquaculture range includes Sea Bass and Sea Bream sourced from Turkey. Products are processed in-house with CO2 Cascade freezing technology and distributed across Europe, USA, and the Middle East.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wild Catch Frozen Seafood Wild-caught frozen fish and shellfish from FAO 27 Northeast Atlantic, including flatfish, round fish, and shellfish. Available in whole gutted, fillet, loin, and pan-ready forms, sourced from Holland and other approved origins. Designed for B2B customers including retail chains, wholesalers, importers, caterers, and institutional buyers across Europe, the USA, and the Middle East.
• Aquaculture Seafood Farm-raised frozen Mediterranean species including whole and gutted sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and sea bream (Sparus aurata), as well as skin-on/skin-off fillets with or without pin bones, sourced from sustainable aquaculture in Turkey and meeting GLOBALG.A.P. standards. Targeted at B2B foodservice and retail buyers.
• Added Value (Value-Added) Seafood In-house processed ready-to-cook seafood products including Battered Fish Fillets, Breaded Fish Fillets, Mugnaia-style Fish Fillets, Pre-fried Fish Fillets, and Stuffed Fish Fillets with herb coating. Designed for catering packs, portion control, and single-serve portions to meet the convenience needs of restaurants, caterers, and institutional foodservice operators.
• Custom Processing and Private Label Services Custom seafood processing services for B2B customers including filleting, portion control solutions, marinated seafood options, vacuum packaging, and private label manufacturing, all processed in-house for consistent quality and flexible specification matching.

Quantifiable outcome

• Freezing process reduced to 3-4 minutes with minimal moisture loss
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VCU RoboticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner in Project PinBot, a high-tech robotics initiative developing X-ray technology and specialized grippers for automated detection and removal of pinbones in salmon fillets. VCU Robotics provides robotics expertise for the innovation project focused on automation in fish processing.
• Wageningen University & Research (WUR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner in Project PinBot contributing scientific expertise in food technology and robotics. The partnership focuses on developing technologies to improve product quality and food safety in fish processing while reducing dependence on scarce labor.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Young's Seafood: UK-based major frozen seafood brand and processor owned by Nomad Foods. Larger incumbent serving European retail with broad frozen seafood portfolio including breaded and added-value products; competes with Noordzee for UK and continental retail private-label and branded seafood contracts.
• Royal Greenland A/S: Large Greenlandic-Danish vertically integrated seafood company harvesting, processing, and distributing frozen seafood globally. Significantly larger incumbent operating across wild catch, aquaculture, and value-added categories with similar MSC-certified sustainable sourcing posture.
• Lerøy Seafood Group: Norwegian integrated seafood group with wild-catch, aquaculture (salmon, sea bass/bream), and value-added processing divisions. Overlaps with Noordzee's aquaculture (sea bass, sea bream) and added-value product lines and competes for European retail private-label business.
• High Liner Foods: North American value-added frozen seafood leader supplying retail and foodservice with branded and private-label products. Comparable value-added processing model, MSC-certified sustainable sourcing, and B2B retail/foodservice distribution to overlapping customer segments.
• Clearwater Seafoods Partnership: Canadian shellfish and frozen seafood harvester/processor supplying retail and foodservice globally. Overlaps with Noordzee in shellfish and premium frozen seafood categories and competes in international B2B seafood distribution channels including Europe and the Middle East.
• Pescanova España S.L. Spanish frozen seafood manufacturer with broad portfolio across wild-caught, aquaculture, and value-added categories for European retail and foodservice. Iberian competitor with overlapping Mediterranean flatfish/species and European B2B distribution footprint.

Direct peers

• Nordic Seafood A/S: Danish frozen seafood processor and distributor serving European retail, foodservice, and industrial customers with wild-caught and aquaculture species. Comparable mid-sized European frozen seafood platform with similar in-house processing and broad SKU portfolio.
• Klaas Puul: Dutch shrimp and seafood processor/distributor also headquartered in the Netherlands. Operates a similar in-house processing-plus-B2B-distribution model with cold-chain logistics and European export footprint, competing head-to-head with Noordzee for retail and foodservice seafood contracts.
• Heiploeg: Dutch-based shrimp processor and frozen seafood distributor supplying European retail and foodservice. Closely comparable mid-market Dutch seafood platform with similar value-added processing, private-label capability, and B2B distribution focus.
• Espersen Group: Danish frozen seafood manufacturer producing breaded, battered, and value-added seafood products for retail and foodservice. Direct comparable in value-added seafood processing, European B2B distribution, and product categories overlapping Noordzee's added-value line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/noordzeeintern1

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Noordzee International