Santa Barbara Fish Market Inc.

What Santa Barbara Fish Market Inc. does

Santa Barbara Fish Market Inc. is a privately held, locally owned fresh seafood business founded by Brian Colgate around 2000-2001 in Santa Barbara, California. The company operates a multi-channel model that includes two retail fish markets (the original Santa Barbara Harbor location at 117 Harbor Way and a Goleta location at 7127 Hollister Ave), a wholesale distribution division out of 711 Bond Ave serving restaurants, fellow wholesalers, and specialty markets, and a full-service restaurant at the Goleta site. It also runs a catering service and a Shopify-based e-commerce storefront that ships fresh and frozen seafood nationwide via UPS NextDay Air.

The product portfolio centers on fresh, frozen, and prepared seafood sourced both locally (Santa Barbara Channel sea urchin harvested by its own commercial divers, local halibut, swordfish, bluefin tuna, rockfish) and from national suppliers (Maine lobster, Atlantic salmon, oysters from California and the East Coast, Tsar Nicoulai caviar). Recurring revenue comes from subscription seafood boxes (a $99.95 Fresh Seafood Box and a $39.95 Family Value Frozen Box) on monthly or quarterly cadences. Ancillary lines include branded merchandise, gift cards, and pantry items.

Revenue mechanics span one-time consumer purchases (in-store and online), B2B wholesale with same-day local delivery and nationwide FedEx/airfreight shipping, restaurant dine-in (with daily Happy Hour), and drop-off catering. Technology is intentionally light: a standard Shopify storefront, conventional payment integrations, and no disclosed proprietary systems. There is no external investment or parent company, and the business has remained under local ownership through 25+ years of operation.

Name

Santa Barbara Fish Market Inc.

Legal name

Santa Barbara Fish Market, Inc.

Website

https://sbfish.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Santa Barbara Fish Market Inc. is a privately held Santa Barbara-based seafood business founded by Brian Colgate around 2000, operating retail markets, a restaurant, wholesale distribution, catering, and nationwide e-commerce shipping for consumers and restaurants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Seafood Retail & Wholesale Distribution

NAICS

Fish and Seafood Retailers (445250), Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers (42446), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171)

SIC

Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Seafood Markets & Fishmongers (CRAHAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Seafood Wholesale (Fresh & Frozen) (AFAIADAD), Smoked, Cured & Salted Seafood (Lox, Kippers, Bacalao) (AFANADAF), Frozen Seafood Meals & Value-Added Seafood (CRADADAG), Shellfish Value-Added Products (Shucked Oysters, Mussels, Clams; Cooked/Marinated) (AFANALAK)

Keywords

• Fresh seafood retail
• Wholesale seafood distribution
• Seafood e-commerce
• Subscription seafood boxes
• Sustainable seafood sourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Barbara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Seafood Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of fresh, frozen, and prepared seafood products through e-commerce platform and two retail market locations (Santa Barbara Harbor and Goleta). Products include fresh fish, shellfish, smoked fish, caviar, and specialty items.
2. Wholesale Seafood Distribution: B2B wholesale supply to restaurants, fellow wholesalers, and specialty markets. Serves local Santa Barbara area accounts with six-day-per-week delivery through dedicated fleet, plus national shipping via FedEx and airfreight.
3. Restaurant Operations: Full-service restaurant at Goleta location serving fresh, sustainable seafood with daily Happy Hour (Mon-Fri 2-5pm). Also offers drop-off catering for special occasions and events.
4. Subscription Seafood Boxes: Fresh Seafood Box ($99.95) and Family Value Frozen Seafood Box ($39.95) available as one-time purchases or subscription deliveries (monthly, every 3 months, or every 4 months).
5. Apparel and Merchandise: Branded merchandise including t-shirts ($24.95), leather patch hats ($27.95), oyster shuckers, and gift cards (starting at $10).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Santa Barbara Fish Market sells fresh, frozen, and prepared seafood products through its own e-commerce platform (sbfish.com) shipping nationwide via UPS NextDay Air, two physical retail markets (Santa Barbara Harbor and Goleta), a Goleta restaurant, and a wholesale division serving restaurants, fellow wholesalers, and specialty markets. The company also offers subscription seafood boxes (Fresh Seafood Box at $99.95 and Family Value Frozen Seafood Box at $39.95), drop-off catering services, and branded merchandise, with vertically integrated commercial diving operations for sea urchin harvesting from the Santa Barbara Channel Islands.

Product overview

Santa Barbara Fish Market Inc. operates a multi-channel fresh seafood retail and wholesale business with two physical locations (Santa Barbara Harbor and Goleta) plus a comprehensive e-commerce platform. The core product portfolio centers on fresh, frozen, and specialty seafood products including fish fillets, shellfish, sea urchin/uni, smoked fish, and caviar. The company also offers subscription seafood boxes (fresh and frozen value options), a restaurant at the Goleta location, wholesale distribution services, and branded merchandise/apparel. The e-commerce platform enables nationwide overnight shipping of fresh and frozen products, while local delivery and retail pickup options serve the Santa Barbara area. The company emphasizes sustainable sourcing, direct relationships with local fishermen, and wild-harvested Santa Barbara seafood.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fresh Seafood Box A subscription seafood box containing 4 fresh vacuum-packed fish portions (approximately 4 lbs total) with 3-4 species of the freshest seasonal fish, shipped overnight to all 50 states. Priced at $99.95 per box with monthly, every 3 months, or every 4 months delivery cadence.
• Family Value Frozen Seafood Box A value-oriented frozen seafood box containing 3 frozen 1lb vacuum-packed bags of Salmon, Ahi-Tuna, and Whitefish trimmings, plus one weekly special item. Priced at $39.95 per box with subscription delivery options.
• Fresh Fish Fresh fish fillets and portions cut to order daily, including Scottish Salmon, Swordfish, Wild Coho Salmon, Atlantic Salmon, Ocean Trout, White Seabass, Yellowtail, Albacore Tuna, Petrale Sole, Branzino, Ahi Tuna, Local Halibut, Bluefin Tuna, King Salmon, Lingcod, Black Cod, Rockfish, and Ocean Whitefish.
• Frozen Fish Frozen seafood products including Ahi Fillet Trimmings, Black Cod Collars, Frozen Uni, Hamachi Yellowtail, Hiramasa, New Zealand Greenlip Mussels, Salmon Collars, Salmon Fillet Trimmings, Whitefish Fillet Trimmings, and Yellowfin Poke Cubes.
• Shellfish Shellfish products including Shrimp (Wild and Farmed varieties), Oysters (Blue Point, Kumamoto, California Grassy Bar), Clams (Manila, Littleneck), Mussels (Hope Ranch), Lobster (Live Maine, Caribbean), Crab (Blue Crab Meat, Dungeness, Rock Crab, Red Deepsea), Calamari, and Imitation Crab.
• Sea Urchin / Uni Live Santa Barbara Sea Urchin hand-harvested from the Santa Barbara Channel Islands by the company's own commercial divers, Uni Trays (100g), and Frozen Uni in 1lb tubs.
• California Seafood Locally sourced California seafood including Hope Ranch Mussels, Santa Barbara Sea Urchin, Local Halibut, Local Swordfish, Local Bluefin Tuna, Black Cod, Angel Shark, White Seabass, Channel Island Rockfish, Ocean Whitefish, and Rock Crab Claws.
• Smoked / Cured Fish Smoked fish products including Smoked Salmon Lox (Cambridge), Oak Roasted Hot Smoked Salmon, Hot Smoked King Salmon Candy, Anchovies Mediterranean in Oil, Hot Smoked Black Cod Candy, Hot Smoked Black Cod Savory, and Shark Jerky Teriyaki.
• Caviar Tsar Nicoulai Caviar products including Reserve and Osetra varieties, made from California White Sturgeon without antibiotics, hormones, GMOs, or synthetic preservatives.
• Ready-to-Eat (Poke, Salads, Soups) Ready-to-eat items including Wakame Seaweed Salad and Yellowfin (Ahi) Sushi Grade Poke Cubes.
• Merchandise & Apparel Branded merchandise including Leather Patch Hats (multiple colors), T-Shirts (Black, Heather Gray, Beige, Navy Blue variants), Gift Cards (Digital from $10), and Oyster Shucker tools ($14.95).
• Wholesale Seafood Distribution B2B wholesale distribution service for restaurants, fellow wholesalers, and specialty markets nationwide. Same-day local delivery from the wholesale facility at 711 Bond Ave for local accounts (order by 12 p.m. Monday-Friday), with six-day-per-week delivery through dedicated fleet extending from Montecito to Santa Ynez Valley, plus nationwide FedEx shipping and airfreight delivery to LAX on Mon/Wed/Thu.
• Santa Barbara Fish Market Goleta Restaurant Full-service restaurant at the Goleta location at 7127 Hollister Ave, Suite 18, serving fresh, sustainable seafood with daily Happy Hour Monday-Friday 2-5pm. Combined fish market and restaurant with market hours 10am-7:30pm daily and restaurant hours 11am-8pm daily.
• Catering Services Drop-off catering services for special occasions, events, and local businesses with customizable menus, available by contacting [email protected].

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Del PacificocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnership with Del Pacifico for wild-caught Mexican shrimp. Del Pacifico was founded in 2014 with mission to produce world's highest quality shrimp using sustainable harvest methods. Works with artisanal fishermen cooperatives and became first shrimp company in world to receive Fair Trade Certification in 2016.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pike Place Fish Market: Seattle-based iconic fish market operating retail and DTC seafood sales with strong tourist and local brand recognition. Comparable given its retail heritage, multi-channel model, and premium positioning on the US West Coast.
• Citarella: New York specialty retailer and wholesaler of premium seafood, meats, and gourmet groceries with multiple locations and DTC operations. Comparable as a premium-positioned multi-channel seafood retailer/wholesaler serving both consumer and B2B markets.
• The Lobster Place: Chelsea Market-based New York seafood retailer and wholesaler serving both retail customers and restaurant accounts. Comparable multi-channel model combining retail storefront, wholesale distribution, and DTC operations.
• Browne Trading Company: Maine-based specialty seafood wholesaler and DTC retailer with national shipping of fresh and frozen seafood to restaurants and consumers. Comparable as a specialty seafood business combining wholesale distribution with direct consumer sales nationwide.
• Lobster Anywhere: Maine-based DTC seafood company specializing in live lobster and premium seafood shipped nationwide. Comparable as a regional seafood specialist leveraging overnight shipping to reach national consumers from a coastal operating base.
• Catalina Offshore Products: San Diego-based sustainable seafood wholesaler and retailer serving restaurants and direct consumers with a focus on responsibly sourced products. Comparable as a Southern California seafood operator combining sustainability positioning, restaurant supply, and DTC sales.
• Pure Food Fish Market: Seattle retail fish market operating since 1964 with DTC shipping of fresh Pacific Northwest seafood. Comparable as an iconic regional fish market combining walk-in retail, restaurant supply, and nationwide DTC seafood delivery.
• Vital Choice Wild Seafood & Organics: Direct-to-consumer wild-caught and sustainably sourced seafood company with subscription offerings. Highly comparable on subscription seafood box model, premium positioning, and nationwide shipping of fresh and frozen seafood.
• Fulton Fish Market: Iconic New York City seafood market now offering nationwide DTC shipping. Highly comparable to Santa Barbara Fish Market given its combination of historic retail/wholesale presence, multi-channel distribution, and fresh seafood DTC operations.
• Lummi Island Wild: Pacific Northwest sustainable seafood company selling wild salmon and other seafood DTC and to chefs. Comparable as a sustainable/wild-caught premium seafood brand with both restaurant/wholesale and direct-to-consumer channels.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/sbfishmarket?lang=en
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCjcQr3IshzwispHxi35Hejw
• Facebookfacebook.com/SantaBarbaraFishMarket
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/santa-barbara-fish-market
• Instagraminstagram.com/sbfishmarket

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 Santa Barbara Fish Market Inc.