Northern Waters Smokehaus

What Northern Waters Smokehaus does

Northern Waters Smokehaus is a privately held, founder-owned specialty food business established in 1998 by Eric Goerdt in Duluth, Minnesota. The company operates a single flagship deli in the DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace in Canal Park, where it produces small-batch smoked fish and cured meats using traditional kippering techniques learned in Sitka, Alaska. Core products include smoked Atlantic salmon and Lake Superior lake trout, dry-cured salumi (Salamini, Saucisson Sec, Salami Picante), smoked meats (Berkshire bacon, pancetta, porketta, pastrami, turkey), artisan cheeses, and signature sandwiches. Production is on-site using locally sourced meats from Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Minnesota farms, with bread baked daily on the premises.

The company generates revenue across four streams: in-store retail sales at the Duluth deli, a national mail-order e-commerce operation shipping via UPS (currently paused until 11/01/2026), catering services for weddings and corporate events, and wholesale distribution through approximately 50+ retail partners across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Curated gift boxes (Smokehaus Sampler at $92, The Grand Gesture at $190) bundle smoked fish, pâté, local cheese, and crackers; themed boxes incorporate partnerships with Native Wise Wild Rice, 3rd St. Bakery, and other local artisans. Branded apparel and merchandise (t-shirts, beanies, hats, totes) are produced through local Duluth screen printers. In 2023, the company expanded into publishing with 'Smoke on the Waterfront,' a cookbook released through the University of Minnesota Press and recognized as a Minnesota Book Award finalist.

The business has built notable brand equity through 25+ years of earned media coverage, including features on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives (2010) and Man v. Food (2018), Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveler, and Travel Channel. It was named Best Deli in Minnesota by Food Network in 2020 and won a bronze medal at the 2023 World Charcuterie Awards. The company operates without external institutional capital, retaining full founder ownership, and remains intentionally small-scale with a tightly held employee base.

Name

Northern Waters Smokehaus

Legal name

Northern Waters Smokehaus

Website

https://northernwaterssmokehaus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Northern Waters Smokehaus is a founder-owned Duluth, Minnesota deli and specialty food producer specializing in traditional kippered smoked fish, dry-cured salumi, and artisan meats, serving walk-in retail customers, a national mail-order gifting business, event catering clients, and 50+ regional wholesale partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Smoked Fish & Charcuterie

NAICS

Fish and Seafood Retailers (44525), Meat Retailers (445240)

SIC

Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092), Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)

akta.pro primary industry

Smoked Meats & Seafood (Hot/Cold Smoking) (AFANAEAB)

Keywords

• Smoked fish products
• Artisanal charcuterie
• Specialty deli
• Gift box mail order
• Event catering

Headquarters

HQ city

Duluth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Deli Sales: In-store sales of smoked fish, meats, sandwiches, salads, charcuterie, and artisan cheese at the Duluth deli location. Customers can order for immediate consumption or take-away.
2. Wholesale Distribution: Products sold through approximately 50+ retail partners across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa including co-ops, restaurants, hospitals, and specialty food stores.
3. Catering Services: Catering for events including weddings, corporate functions, and gatherings. Offers platters in four sizes (Small serves 5, Medium serves 10, Large serves 20, Extra Large serves 50) and boxed lunch options.
4. National Mail-Order E-commerce: Direct-to-consumer e-commerce shipping smoked fish, meats, gift boxes, merchandise, and gift cards nationwide. Ships Monday-Wednesday via UPS with 48-hour delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Northern Waters Smokehaus is a Duluth, Minnesota-based smokehouse and deli that produces and sells house-smoked fish (Atlantic salmon, Lake Superior lake trout), cured meats (bacon, pancetta, pastrami, salami), and artisan cheese from an on-site smokehouse using traditional kippering techniques. It sells through a Canal Park flagship deli, a national mail-order e-commerce site shipping across the U.S., full-service catering, and wholesale distribution through 50+ regional retail partners.

Product overview

Northern Waters Smokehaus is a specialty food retailer and deli in Duluth, MN, operating since 1998. The company offers a unified portfolio centered on smoked fish and meats, charcuterie, and artisan foods. Core offerings include house-smoked salmon and lake trout, dry-cured salumi (Salamini, Saucisson Sec, Salami Picante), and smoked meats (bacon, pancetta, porketta, turkey, pastrami). The product line extends to curated gift boxes (Smokehaus Sampler, The Grand Gesture), a published cookbook, wild rice, gift cards, catering services, and branded apparel/merchandise. All products are made or curated in Duluth, with national mail-order shipping available.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Smokehaus Sampler A curated gift box pairing smoked Atlantic salmon and smoked salmon pâté with local gourmet cheese and premium crackers, shipped in an insulated box.
• The Grand Gesture A deluxe gift box featuring smoked lake trout or Atlantic salmon, smoked salmon pâté, smoked Berkshire bacon, smoked sausage, dry-cured salumi, local cheese, and premium crackers.
• Smoked Salmon (Multiple Varieties) House-smoked Atlantic salmon offerings including Traditional, Black Pepper & Coriander, Cajun, and Dill varieties, along with Lake Superior smoked lake trout.
• Dry-Cured Salumi Artisan dry-cured meats including Salamini, Saucisson Sec (French-style), and Salami Picante (dry-cured pepperoni). Bronze Medal winner at the 2023 World Charcuterie Awards for Salami Picante.
• Smoked Meats House-smoked meats including Berkshire pork products (bacon, pancetta, porketta), smoked turkey breast, pastrami, and smoked sausages.
• Gift Cards (Deli & Mail-Order) Digital and physical gift cards available in denominations from $25 to $200, redeemable either in-store at Canal Park or for national mail-orders.
• Smoke on the Waterfront Cookbook The company's first cookbook featuring recipes, stories, and techniques from two decades of smokehouse operations.
• Native Wise Wild Rice Wild-harvested manoomin (Ojibwe for wild rice) sourced from Fond Du Lac Reservation and Ceded Territories, processed by Native Wise LLC.
• Catering Platters and Services Full-service catering featuring smoked fish platters, antipasti, charcuterie boards, slider selections, sandwich platters, and specialty salads available in sizes serving 5 to 50 guests. Includes boxed lunches for weddings, corporate functions, and gatherings.
• Apparel and Merchandise Branded merchandise including t-shirts, hats, beanies, tote bags, water bottles, bandanas, stickers, and handmade greeting cards produced by local Duluth partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Featured in Bon Appétit Holiday 2016 issue, sold 388 Berkshire Porkettas in single season
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

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 major, core and minor.

• University of Minnesota PressmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023Published and distributed Northern Waters Smokehaus's first cookbook 'Smoke on the Waterfront'. The press handled international distribution and catalog listing for the book, which was recognized as a Minnesota Book Award and Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards finalist.
• Native Wise Wild RicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the 'Big Lake and the Good Seed' gift box featuring Indigenous-owned and operated Native Wise wild rice. The partnership supports Indigenous community and traditional food providers.
• 3rd St. BakeryminorOthersProvides chocolate chip cookies included in sandwich kits for mail order, such as the Cold Turkey Sandwich Kit.
• Duluth Screen PrintingminorOthersManufactures branded merchandise including Winter Beanie Hats and printed Smokehaus Tote Bags locally in Duluth.
• On The LimitminorOthersScreen prints and embroiders branded merchandise including t-shirts, bandanas, and crew neck shirts locally in Duluth.
• Brist MfgminorOthersManufactures SMOKE/HAUS branded hat combos including SMOKE beanies and HAUS caps.
• Underwood CoffeeminorOthersFeatured in the 'Everything But The Eggs Brunch Box' mail-order gift box, supporting local Duluth businesses.
• NaturalightminorOthersPartner candle company featured in the 'Hygge Box' gift box offering, supporting local Minnesota businesses.
• Llots of LloveminorOthersLocal Duluth artisan creating handcrafted greeting cards sold alongside gift boxes. Cards are 5x7, made from multiple layers of craft paper, and include matching envelopes.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Smoking Goose: Indianapolis-based craft charcuterie and smoked meat producer with DTC mail-order, wholesale, and gift-box offerings. Comparable in artisan cured and smoked meats (salami, bacon, pâté) sold via national mail-order and wholesale to specialty retailers.
• Lobel's: NYC-based specialty butcher and mail-order business specializing in dry-aged beef, smoked meats, and charcuterie. Comparable as heritage specialty meat purveyor with strong mail-order gifting business and small-batch craft production.
• D'Artagnan: NJ-based specialty meat and charcuterie company supplying restaurants, retailers, and consumers via mail-order. Comparable in cured/smoked meat product portfolio, national DTC shipping model, and gift-box merchandising.
• Acme Smoked Fish: Brooklyn-based producer of smoked fish (salmon, whitefish, sturgeon) distributed wholesale to retailers, restaurants, and via DTC. Comparable in core smoking craft, product category (smoked fish), and multi-channel go-to-market (wholesale + DTC).
• Zingerman's: Ann Arbor-based specialty food business operating a deli, mail-order, and wholesale operation. Directly comparable model: flagship retail location with national mail-order, gift baskets, branded specialty foods, and a published cookbook line.
• Olympic Provisions: Portland, OR-based craft charcuterie and salumeria with restaurant, wholesale, and DTC mail-order channels. Comparable in small-batch cured meats (salami, saucisson), charcuterie focus, and multi-channel specialty food model.
• SeaBear Smokehouse: Washington-based mail-order smoked salmon and specialty seafood company. Most directly comparable peer: similar DTC mail-order business model shipping smoked fish nationally via UPS, with gift-box product positioning and direct competition in the specialty smoked fish mail-order category.
• Russ & Daughters: Iconic NYC appetizing shop specializing in smoked fish, caviar, and specialty Jewish foods with flagship retail, catering, and national shipping. Comparable as heritage smoked-fish specialist with single primary retail location and strong mail-order/gifting business.

Emerging players

• Fulton Fish Market (Fulton Fish Guy / Honest): Online platform sourcing and shipping fresh and smoked seafood nationwide. Comparable in DTC mail-order seafood category, including smoked salmon SKUs that directly overlap with NWS's national mail-order offering.
• Murray's Cheese: NYC-based artisan cheese retailer and wholesaler with national shipping. Comparable in specialty food DTC mail-order, cheese/charcuterie gift boxes, and complementary positioning to NWS's smoked fish and artisan cheese offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/nwsmokehaus
• Facebookfacebook.com/nwsmokehaus
• Instagraminstagram.com/northernwaterssmokehaus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Northern Waters Smokehaus