Apex Foods

What Apex Foods does

Apex Foods Limited (AFL) is a Bangladesh-incorporated, Dhaka-headquartered seafood processing company that was founded in 1979 and operates as the country's single largest processor and exporter of frozen seafood. The company's core offering is value-added frozen shrimp and seafood, produced at its Chittagong factory (Fouzderhat Industrial Estate) and processed, frozen, and stored using modern machinery that the company describes as one of the most modern seafood processing plants in Asia, under a HACCP-based (U.S. FDA-aligned) quality assurance program. Apex Foods is publicly listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE); as of 31 March 2025, Sponsors & Directors held a controlling 53.39% stake (3,044,450 of 5,702,400 shares), with no foreign holdings reported.

The business is 100% export-oriented and operates a direct, relationship-driven B2B export sales motion, selling value-added frozen seafood to international buyers in North America, the European Union, Australia, and Russia via dedicated sales email channels. Revenue mechanics are quote-based and negotiated with international buyers, with no public pricing disclosure. The company holds a full multi-jurisdiction regulatory and certification stack — U.S. FDA Code #BC 13 and Registration #19204357574, EU Approval #CTG-35, BRC Global Standard for Food Safety, GMP-HACCP, 2-Star BAP Plant and BAP Shrimp Farm, and SMETA-Sedex Audit Report — that collectively enable access to regulated seafood import markets.

Apex Foods sits within a broader Bangladeshi Apex group of textile, apparel, and holding companies (Apex Holdings, Apex Spinning & Knitting Mills, Apex Lingerie, Apex Yarn Dyeing, Apex Textile Printing Mills, Apex Fashion Wear, and Matex Bangladesh Limited) under shared family leadership (Chairman Zafar Ahmed, Vice Chairman Zahur Ahmed PhD, Managing Director Shahriar Ahmed). Day-to-day operations are run by a long-tenured management team including Executive Director Mominuddin Ahmed Khan (since 1986), Director Ashim Kumar Barua (since 1982), CFO Sheuli Rani Dey (since 2007), and Company Secretary Kamrul Islam (since 2012), with Independent Director Tarek Nizamuddin Ahmed chairing the Audit and Nomination & Remuneration Committees.

Name

Apex Foods

Legal name

Apex Foods Limited

Website

https://apexfoods.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Apex Foods Limited is the single largest processor and exporter of frozen seafood in Bangladesh, producing value-added frozen shrimp at its Chittagong factory and exporting 100% of output to buyers in North America, the European Union, Australia, and Russia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Frozen Seafood Processing and Export

NAICS

Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (311710)

SIC

Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092)

akta.pro primary industry

Fresh & Frozen Seafood Fillets (Portioned, Skinless/Boneless) (AFANALAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Breaded & Battered Seafood (Fish Sticks, Nuggets, Cutlets) (AFANALAB)

Keywords

• Frozen seafood processing
• Shrimp export
• Value-added seafood
• HACCP seafood manufacturing
• Bangladeshi seafood exporter

Headquarters

HQ city

Dhaka

HQ country

Bangladesh

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Export Sales of Frozen Shrimp and Seafood: Apex Foods Limited is a 100% export oriented value-added shrimp processing company. Revenue is generated from selling frozen seafood products to international buyers across North America, EU countries, Australia and Russia, supported by a blue-chip customer base with regular order flow.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Apex Foods Limited is a 100% export-oriented value-added frozen seafood processor producing primarily shrimp and other seafood products at its Chittagong facility for international buyers in North America, the EU, Australia and Russia. Output is processed, frozen and stored using modern machinery under a HACCP-based quality assurance program, with the full range certified to BRC, GMP-HACCP, BAP Plant, BAP Shrimp Farm, SMETA-Sedex, U.S. FDA and EU regulatory standards.

Product overview

Apex Foods Limited (AFL) operates a single unified product line of value-added frozen seafood (primarily shrimp) rather than a multi-module software platform. The company's offering is centered on its core Frozen Seafood Products portfolio, which is processed at its factory in Chittagong, Bangladesh and exported to markets in North America, EU countries, Australia, and Russia. Quality assurance and food safety certifications (BRC, GMP-HACCP, BAP Plant, BAP Shrimp Farm, SMETA-Sedex) form an integral part of the product offering, ensuring compliance with FDA and EU regulatory requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Apex Holdings LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as one of the 'Other Companies' within the Apex group, alongside Apex Foods Limited. The companies share an interlinked corporate ecosystem under the Apex group structure.
• Apex Spinning & Knitting Mills LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister concern within the Apex group. The Chairman and Vice Chairman of Apex Foods Limited also serve as Chairman and Managing Director of Apex Spinning & Knitting Mills Limited respectively, and an Independent Director (Mr. Tarek Nizamuddin Ahmed) was appointed on 5 April 2023 to Apex Spinning & Knitting Mills Limited.
• Apex Lingerie LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister concern within the Apex group, with shared Chairman (Mr. Zafar Ahmed) and Managing Director (Mr. Zahur Ahmed PhD). Listed in the 'Other Companies' section of the Apex Foods website.
• Apex Yarn Dyeing LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister concern within the Apex group. The Chairman and Managing Director of Apex Foods also serve as Chairman and Managing Director respectively of Apex Yarn Dyeing Limited. Listed in the 'Other Companies' section of the Apex Foods website.
• Apex Textile Printing Mills LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister concern within the Apex group. The Chairman and Managing Director of Apex Foods also serve as Chairman and Managing Director respectively of Apex Textile Printing Mills Limited. Listed in the 'Other Companies' section of the Apex Foods website.
• Matex Bangladesh LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister concern within the Apex group, with shared Chairman (Mr. Zafar Ahmed) and Managing Director (Mr. Zahur Ahmed PhD). Listed in the 'Other Companies' section of the Apex Foods website.
• Apex Fashion Wear LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister concern within the Apex group, with shared Chairman (Mr. Zafar Ahmed), Vice Chairman (Mr. Zahur Ahmed PhD) and Managing Director (Mr. Shahriar Ahmed). Listed across Board of Directors profiles of Apex Foods Limited.
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA)minorOthersU.S. FDA has registered Apex Foods' Chittagong factory under Code #BC 13 and Registration #19204357574, authorizing export of seafood products into the U.S. market.
• European Union (EU) regulatory authorityminorOthersThe European Union has granted Apex Foods Limited EU Approval #CTG-35 for its Chittagong seafood processing facility, enabling export into EU member states.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Maruha Nichiro: One of Japan's largest seafood companies, with global processing, aquaculture and frozen seafood operations across multiple species. Comparable to Apex on multi-jurisdiction certifications and global frozen seafood export, but at far greater scale and product breadth.
• Mowi ASA: The world's largest Atlantic salmon producer, with vertically integrated farming, processing and value-added frozen seafood sales to global retail/foodservice. Comparable to Apex as a global aquaculture-origin frozen seafood processor/exporter, though species mix (salmon vs. shrimp) and scale differ.
• Nippon Suisan (Nissui): Major Japanese seafood company with global fishing, aquaculture and frozen seafood processing operations, serving retail and foodservice in Japan, Europe and the Americas. Comparable to Apex on multi-jurisdiction food-safety certifications and B2B export, but at much larger scale and product breadth.
• Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF): Thai conglomerate and one of the world's largest vertically integrated aquaculture producers, with significant shrimp processing and export operations. Comparable to Apex as a large-scale Asian frozen shrimp processor/exporter, but with a much broader portfolio (livestock, packaged foods) and greater geographic reach.

Regional players

• Ocean Garden Products: Mexico-based processor and exporter of frozen shrimp and seafood to U.S. and international markets, with FDA-registered plants. Comparable to Apex as a single-origin (Mexico vs. Bangladesh) frozen shrimp processor/exporter serving U.S. buyers under FDA registration, though geographically competing in the same end-markets from a different source country.

Direct peers

• Trident Seafoods: The largest vertically integrated seafood company in North America, processing frozen shrimp, finfish and shellfish for retail, foodservice and export customers. Comparable to Apex on B2B frozen seafood processing with multi-jurisdiction certifications and global buyer relationships.
• Clearwater Seafoods: Canadian-based harvester and processor of premium frozen shellfish (shrimp, scallops, lobster) sold globally. Comparable to Apex as a frozen seafood processor/exporter with rigorous food-safety and traceability standards supplying Western retail and foodservice.
• High Liner Foods: North American leading processor and marketer of value-added frozen seafood (shrimp, salmon, cod) supplying retail and foodservice. Comparable to Apex on value-added frozen seafood processing, multi-country sourcing, and B2B export to regulated Western markets.
• Thai Union Group: The world's largest processor and exporter of frozen and value-added seafood (shrimp, tuna, salmon), serving global retail and foodservice customers. Direct comparable to Apex Foods on B2B export-oriented value-added frozen seafood processing and multi-jurisdiction food-safety compliance, but at much greater scale and brand breadth.
• Pacific Seafood Group: Family-owned, vertically integrated U.S. seafood company harvesting, processing and distributing frozen shrimp and finfish. Comparable to Apex on family-controlled governance, vertically integrated frozen seafood processing, and B2B buyer relationships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apex-foods-ltd

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries7 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 Apex Foods