FISHERMAN'S PROCESSING

What FISHERMAN'S PROCESSING does

Fisherman's Processing is a San Diego-based custom fish processing service established in 2009, serving the recreational sportfishing community along the Southern California coast. The company provides end-to-end catch handling for long-range anglers, private boaters, short-trip anglers, rock and dock fishermen, and visiting tourists, utilizing Refrigerated Salt Water (RSW) methods to maintain fish quality from landing through processing. Core services include custom filleting with multiple cut options (loins, sushi center cut, steaks, slabs, Saku blocks), vacuum-sealed packaging, cold storage, and shipping coordination. Premium value-added offerings include gourmet custom canning (Bluefin/Yellowfin, three flavors), FP Gourmet mesquite smoking using a proprietary 6-hour brine soak, and FP Gourmet jerky production in four flavors, with 7–10 day turnarounds.

The business operates a reservation-based direct-to-consumer model with a $100 refundable deposit and per-pound transaction pricing across two tiers (credit card and cash, with a 3% non-refundable card fee). Distribution is anchored by a single physical shop at 4004 Taylor Street adjacent to Old Town San Diego, supplemented by on-site processing at five major fishing landings (Dana Landing, Fisherman's Landing, H&M Landing, Point Loma Sportfishing, Seaforth Landing) and nationwide shipping via Federal Express alongside regional Southwest/Alaska cargo services. The company also runs an e-commerce storefront selling FP Gourmet-branded retail products (poke mix, sauces, spices, brine, smoked salts) and third-party items including Anza knives and Grunden's gear. Ownership rests with five partners (Tim Ekstrom, Randy Toussaint, Brian Sims, Roy Rose, Raymond Falante), with operations directed by Merrilee Ekstrom and Raymond Falante. The business has roughly 9 employees and no disclosed external funding.

Name

FISHERMAN'S PROCESSING

Legal name

Fisherman's Processing

Website

https://fishermansprocessing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fisherman's Processing is a San Diego-based custom fish processing service founded in 2009, serving sportfishing anglers with filleting, canning, smoking, jerky, cold storage, and shipping at five local landings and a Taylor Street retail shop.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seafood Processing Services

NAICS

Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (311710), Fish and Seafood Retailers (44525)

SIC

Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)

akta.pro primary industry

Smoked, Cured & Salted Seafood (Lox, Kippers, Bacalao) (AFANADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Seafood Markets & Fishmongers (CRAHAHAC)

Keywords

• Fish processing services
• Sportfishing processing
• Custom fish filleting
• Vacuum packaging seafood
• Smoked fish production

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fish Processing Services: Core revenue from custom fish processing including filleting, canning, smoking, and jerky production. Charges per pound for various service levels with same-day, next-day, and later pickup options.
2. Custom Packaging: Vacuum-sealed packaging services charged per pound based on fish weight and type.
3. Cold Storage: Cold storage fees after free initial 2-week period, charged daily per bread rack.
4. Shipping and Handling: Shipping services to Southwest Cargo, Alaska Cargo, and Federal Express destinations with handling fees and per-pound charges.
5. Retail Products: Sale of FP gourmet poke mix, sauces, spices, rubs, brine, beer batter, panko breadcrumbs, smoked salts, pepper sauce, Anza fillet knives, Grunden's gear, and branded logo wear.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fisherman's Processing provides custom fish processing services for sport anglers in San Diego, including professional filleting with multiple cut options, vacuum packaging, mesquite smoking using a proprietary brine, jerky production, gourmet canning, refrigerated cold storage, and shipping. The company also operates a retail shop selling FP-branded gourmet products (poke mix, sauces, brine, spices, rubs) and ancillary gear, and accepts reservations online with a $100 deposit.

Product overview

Fisherman's Processing is a fish processing and preparation service for sport fishermen in San Diego, established in 2009. The company operates as a single unified service offering centered around custom fish processing with multiple service tiers: core processing services (Custom Fillet Cuts, Custom Packaging, Cold Storage), premium value-added services (Gourmet Custom Canning, FP Gourmet Smoking, FP Gourmet Jerky), and ancillary offerings (Box Packaging, Shipping & Handling). The company also maintains a retail shop selling FP-branded gourmet products including poke mix, sauces, and brine, along with third-party items like Anza fillet knives and Grunden's gear. An online reservation system handles customer scheduling with deposit requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FP Gourmet: FP Gourmet product line including poke mix, poke sauce, spices, rubs, brine, beer batter, panko breadcrumbs, and smoked & flavored finishing salts

Products and services

• Custom Fillet Cuts Professional fish filleting with multiple custom cut options — including loins, sushi center cut, 2 lb. and 1 lb. fillets, Saku blocks, bone-in steaks, sport cut slabs, heads/tails, blood line, and customer-requested cuts — all vacuum sealed in 5mil bags for individual sportfishing customers.
• Custom Packaging Vacuum-sealed packaging service for processed fish priced per pound based on fish weight categories (12 lbs and larger, under 12 lbs, fillets) with optional .5lb bag split for additional per-pound fee.
• Gourmet Custom Canning Custom canning service for Bluefin and Yellowfin tuna weighing 15 pounds or more, offered in Natural, Olive Oil, and Jalapeño flavors at $5.67/lb (credit card) or $5.50/lb (cash), available for same-day trade-in or custom order.
• FP Gourmet Smoking Mesquite smoking service using proprietary FP Gourmet Brine (6-hour soak), priced at $3.61/lb (credit card) or $3.50/lb (cash). Available same-day for trade-in on Ono/Wahoo, Yellowtail, Bluefin, and Yellowfin (15+ lbs); custom smoking available for Salmon, Trout, Meats & Cheese with a 7–10 day turnaround.
• FP Gourmet Jerky Mesquite-smoked jerky produced from thinly sliced fillets soaked in proprietary FP Gourmet Brine, available in Teriyaki, Spicy, Pepper (new improved recipe), and Mango Habanero (new flavor) at $4.64/lb (credit card) or $4.50/lb (cash). Available same-day trade-in for Bluefin and Yellowfin (15+ lbs); custom jerky available for Salmon & Meats with a 7–10 day turnaround.
• Cold Storage Refrigerated storage service with the first 2 weeks free of charge, followed by daily per-bread-rack fees from day 15 to day 30. Storage beyond 30 days requires prior arrangement; failure to arrange results in forfeiture of the order.
• Box Packaging Shipping boxes in multiple sizes — 28x16x7 lined with bag and ice, Tiny (15x14x11), Small (19x13x14), Medium up to 50 lbs (21x17x14), and Large 50–70 lbs (25x17x16) — sold at unit prices ranging from $10.30 to $82.40 (credit card) or $10.00 to $80.00 (cash).
• Shipping and Handling Outbound shipping coordination for processed fish via Southwest Cargo, Alaska Cargo (to customer's local airport), or Federal Express (door-to-door), with handling fees ($77.25 credit / $75 cash for up to 2 boxes, plus $10.30/$10 per additional box) and per-pound pricing quoted per shipment.
• FP Gourmet Poke Mix House-made gourmet poke seasoning mix sold at the Fisherman's Processing retail shop and online e-commerce store.
• FP Gourmet Sauce House-made gourmet poke sauce sold at the Fisherman's Processing retail shop and online e-commerce store.
• FP Gourmet Brine Proprietary brine solution used in-house for FP Gourmet Smoking and FP Gourmet Jerky, also offered for retail purchase.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fish yields vary by species and weight: Yellowtail 10-15lb yields 20-24%, Yellowtail 15-40lb yields 24-33%, Tuna 10-25lb yields 25-30%, Tuna 25-75lb yields 30-35%, Tuna 75-100lb yields 35-38%, Tuna 100lb+ yields 38-40%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dana LandingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFishing landing location where Fisherman's Processing provides on-site fish processing services to arriving anglers. Partners meet reservations at this location.
• Fisherman's LandingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFishing landing location where Fisherman's Processing provides on-site fish processing services to arriving anglers. Partners meet reservations at this location.
• H & M LandingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFishing landing location where Fisherman's Processing provides on-site fish processing services to arriving anglers. Partners meet reservations at this location.
• Point Loma SportfishingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFishing landing location where Fisherman's Processing provides on-site fish processing services to arriving anglers. Partners meet reservations at this location.
• Seaforth LandingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFishing landing location where Fisherman's Processing provides on-site fish processing services to arriving anglers. Partners meet reservations at this location.
• Southwest CargominorOthersShipping partner used to ship processed fish to Southwest region destinations via local airports.
• Alaska CargominorOthersShipping partner used to ship processed fish to Alaska region destinations via local airports.
• Federal ExpressminorOthersFedEx shipping partner for direct-to-door delivery of processed fish products to customers nationwide.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Trident Seafoods: Major U.S. seafood processor and harvester with value-added smoked, canned, and packaged seafood products. Comparable as a broad incumbent in prepared seafood manufacturing touching smoked/cured categories Fisherman's Processing serves.
• Santa Monica Seafood: Large regional seafood distributor and processor serving Southern California foodservice and retail. Comparable as a broader seafood processing and packaging operator in the same regional Southern California market.
• Pacific Seafood: Large vertically integrated seafood company with processing, distribution, and retail operations. Comparable as a broad incumbent in seafood processing and packaging, though operating at a much larger scale and across commercial rather than recreational channels.

Direct peers

• H&M Landing: San Diego sportfishing landing that operates its own fleet and provides on-site catch processing services to anglers. Directly comparable as a landing-based sportfishing catch processor in the same San Diego market Fisherman's Processing serves.
• Dana Landing: San Diego sportfishing landing that runs trips and offers processing services. Comparable to Fisherman's Processing as a San Diego landing serving the same sportfishing processing customer set.
• Seaforth Sportfishing: Major San Diego sportfishing landing offering multi-day trips and processing services. Comparable because it serves the same sportfishing customer base with overlapping processing capabilities in the same San Diego geography.
• Fisherman's Landing: Historic San Diego sportfishing landing offering long-range trips with catch processing. Comparable as a direct competitor and partner in the same San Diego sportfishing processing ecosystem.
• Point Loma Sportfishing: San Diego sportfishing landing with long-range fleet and on-site processing capabilities. Compares directly to Fisherman's Processing as a competing/mirrored sportfishing landing processor in the same San Diego market.

Emerging players

• Wild Bill's Smoked Fish: Specialty smoked fish producer serving retail and foodservice markets. Comparable to Fisherman's Processing's proprietary smoking and jerky capabilities as a similarly positioned niche smoked-seafood value-added producer.
• Vital Choice Wild Seafood & Organics: Direct-to-consumer seafood retailer selling smoked, canned, and frozen seafood products online. Comparable to Fisherman's Processing's FP Gourmet retail line as a D2C specialty seafood brand with overlapping value-added product formats.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fisherman's-processing

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 FISHERMAN'S PROCESSING