DANA F. BESECKER COMPANY, INC

What DANA F. BESECKER COMPANY, INC does

Dana F. Besecker Company, Inc. is a family-owned wholesale seafood distributor founded in 1989 by Dana Besecker and incorporated in Washington State in 1994. The family has roots in the seafood industry dating to the early 1900s. The company sources premium Pacific seafood—primarily Sablefish (Black Cod), Halibut, and Crab (King, Snow, and Dungeness)—from Alaska, Canada, Washington, Oregon, and California, and sells to buyers across 38 countries (up from 3 in 2004), with its products recognized in 40+ countries.

The business operates a B2B wholesale model serving importers, distributors, retailers, and food service operators in North American, Asian, and European markets. It maintains three offices—Mercer Island, WA (headquarters), Bellingham, WA, and Homer, AK—and holds Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch "Best Choice" ratings for Sablefish along with MSC certification availability. A joint venture with Steinbach Seafood, a Canadian partner, extends the company's reach into crab processing and cross-border distribution. Revenue mechanics are based on margin between wholesale procurement from fishing operations and resale to international buyers, with premium pricing supported by sustainability credentials and category expertise rather than technology differentiation.

The company has explicitly positioned itself as "still pretty lean and mean," with a small named executive team (CEO Dana Besecker, President Tyler Besecker, COO Sarah Hyatt, CFO Justin Bird, Production Sales Coordinator Susan Adair). The business remains privately held by the Besecker family with no disclosed funding events or M&A activity. Its competitive positioning rests on multi-decade supplier relationships, sustainability certifications, international buyer network, and category specialization in premium wild-caught Pacific seafood.

Name

DANA F. BESECKER COMPANY, INC

Legal name

DANA F. BESECKER COMPANY, INC.

Website

https://dfbcompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dana F. Besecker Company is a family-owned wholesale seafood distributor founded in 1989, sourcing Pacific Sablefish, Halibut, and Crab from Alaska, Canada, and the U.S. West Coast, and selling to importers, distributors, retailers, and food service buyers across 38 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seafood Wholesale

NAICS

Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (42446), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (3117)

SIC

Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092)

akta.pro primary industry

Frozen Meat, Poultry & Seafood Wholesale (AFAIAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Shellfish Wholesale (Crustaceans & Mollusks) (AFAIADAF)

Keywords

• Seafood wholesale distribution
• Wild-caught fish processing
• Commercial seafood supplier
• Frozen seafood export
• Pacific seafood wholesaler

Headquarters

HQ city

Mercer Island, Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Seafood Wholesale: The company operates as a commercial seafood processor and wholesaler, buying directly from fishermen and selling to customers globally. Revenue is generated through one-time transactions of physical seafood products (sablefish/black cod, halibut, crab varieties). Products are sold fresh (seasonal March-November) and frozen (year-round) in various forms including headed and gutted, fillets, and portions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

DANA F. BESECKER COMPANY, INC. is a family-owned commercial seafood processor and wholesaler that buys wild-caught seafood directly from fishermen in IFQ longline fisheries and sells it globally. Its core product lines are sablefish (black cod), halibut, and crab varieties (king, Dungeness, and snow), offered in fresh (seasonal) and frozen (year-round) formats as headed/gutted, fillets, and portions to customer specifications.

Product overview

DANA F. BESECKER COMPANY, INC is a family-owned commercial seafood processor and wholesaler founded in 1989. The company operates as a single unified product offering focused on wild-caught seafood, with three primary product lines: Sablefish (Black Cod), Halibut, and Crab products (King, Dungeness, and Snow). Products are sourced directly from fishermen in sustainable fisheries and sold to customers in 38 countries. The company also maintains a joint venture partnership with Steinbach Seafood for crab products. Available in fresh (seasonal) and frozen (year-round) formats, with processing capabilities for headed/gutted, fillets, and portions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sablefish (Black Cod) Wild-caught sablefish (also called Black Cod), known for its rich, buttery flavor and high omega-3 content, sustainably harvested throughout Alaska, Canada, Washington, Oregon, and California and recognized by buyers in 40+ countries as the highest quality on the market. Sold frozen year-round in headed/gutted, fillets, and portions to B2B seafood distributors and processors. Marine Stewardship Council certification is available upon request.
• Halibut Wild-caught halibut valued for its taste and texture, sourced from multiple generations of halibut fishing families with whom the company maintains long-standing procurement relationships. Available fresh seasonally (March-November) and frozen year-round to B2B seafood distributors and processors.
• King Crab Premium king crab sourced through the company's joint venture with Steinbach Seafood, offering Alaskan king crab as well as imported king crab from Norway and Russia. Sold frozen to any specification required for B2B customer applications.
• Dungeness Crab Dungeness crab sourced through the joint venture with Steinbach Seafood, sold frozen to customer specifications for B2B distributors and processors.
• Snow Crab Snow crab sourced through the joint venture with Steinbach Seafood, sold frozen to customer specifications for B2B distributors and processors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sells to 38 countries worldwide (expanded from 3 markets in 2004)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Steinbach SeafoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partnership for crab products. Dana F. Besecker Company works with Steinbach Seafood (founded by Tom Steinbach, a partner from Dana's Royal Alaskan Seafoods days) on king crab, Dungeness crab, and Snow crab. They buy and sell Alaskan king crab plus imported king crab from Norway and Russia. John (JT) Steinbach joined in 2012 to continue and grow the relationships established by Steinbach Seafood.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Trident Seafoods: The largest US-owned seafood company, vertically integrated across Alaska and beyond. Operates in the same wild-caught seafood categories (sablefish, halibut, crab) but at significantly larger scale, making it a broad incumbent rather than a like-for-like competitor.
• True World Foods: National seafood distributor with a strong restaurant and sushi-grade seafood focus. Comparable as a B2B wholesale distributor sourcing wild-caught species for foodservice customers, though broader in product range and geographic coverage.
• High Liner Foods: Public frozen-seafood value-added company and a major North American supplier of prepared and frozen seafood. Comparable as a supplier into retail and foodservice frozen seafood channels, though pursuing a branded, value-added model rather than commodity wholesale.
• Icicle Seafoods: Alaska-based salmon, herring, and whitefish processor with harvesting, processing, and distribution operations. Comparable as a Pacific seafood processor/wholesaler, though larger and more vertically integrated.

Direct peers

• Copper River Seafoods: Alaska-based seafood processor and direct-to-customer wholesaler focused on premium wild-caught species including salmon, halibut, and crab. Comparable as a relationship-driven Alaska processor/wholesaler serving similar foodservice and retail channels.
• Pacific Seafood Group: Family-owned, vertically integrated US seafood company that harvests, processes, and distributes wild-caught and farmed seafood. It is highly comparable as a multi-generational, relationship-driven Pacific seafood processor/wholesaler serving global markets.
• Ocean Beauty Seafoods: Alaska-based seafood processor and distributor with a portfolio of salmon, halibut, sablefish, and other wild-caught species. Comparable as a B2B Alaska seafood wholesaler with similar customer profile and supply chain.
• North Pacific Seafoods: Alaska-focused seafood company with processing, wholesale, and retail operations across salmon, whitefish, and shellfish. Comparable B2B seafood wholesaler operating in the same wild-caught Pacific species categories.
• Stavis Seafoods: Family-owned Boston-based seafood processor and distributor serving retail, foodservice, and institutional customers across the US and internationally. Comparable as a multi-generational, relationship-driven B2B wholesale seafood distributor.
• Orca Bay Seafoods: Seattle-based frozen seafood processor and distributor focused on wild-caught Pacific species including salmon, cod, and other whitefish. Comparable as a Pacific Northwest frozen seafood wholesaler serving foodservice and retail buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dana-f.-besecker-company-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 DANA F. BESECKER COMPANY, INC