Saltwater Markets

What Saltwater Markets does

Saltwater Markets is a privately held specialty retail business headquartered in Clover, South Carolina, that sells fresh seafood, quality meats, and prepared boxes to local consumers. The company operates three physical storefronts clustered along the South Carolina–North Carolina border, in Clover, SC (headquarters), Gastonia, NC, and Fort Mill, SC, with phone-based shipping available for customers outside the trade area. The underlying proposition is direct procurement from fishing families — including family-run docks in New Zealand and the South Carolina coast — with the stated intent of cutting out wholesale middlemen, paying fishermen top dollar, and delivering weekly-rotating fresh selections to retail customers. The business was founded by individuals who spent over a decade in the corporate seafood industry before shifting focus to local communities; no institutional investors, parent companies, or venture capital involvement is indicated in the source material. Saltwater Markets operates with a headcount band of 11–50 employees and runs no e-commerce checkout, app, or API surface.

The revenue model is one-time retail sale of fresh seafood and quality meats at the three storefronts, supplemented by phone-arranged shipping and (per the short description) prepared boxes. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customers must contact the store or visit in person. The go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer, anchored by organic Facebook Live broadcasts five mornings per week (Tuesday through Saturday) that showcase weekly selections and drive community engagement, supplemented by a static Facebook page and the company website. No paid acquisition channels, loyalty programs, mobile app, or formal subscription product are indicated, and there is no disclosed marketing automation or CRM infrastructure. The technology stack is minimal: a basic GoDaddy-hosted website with a contact form, reCAPTCHA, and embedded Facebook content; the company's primary digital surfaces are Facebook and the website, with phone as the operational backbone for shipping. Customer segments are described as individual consumers and families in the three local markets seeking fresh seafood and quality meats for home cooking and supporting local fishing families. No enterprise, B2B, or wholesale customers are identified.

Name

Saltwater Markets

Legal name

Saltwater Markets

Website

https://saltwatermarkets.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Saltwater Markets is a privately held specialty retailer selling fresh seafood, quality meats, and prepared boxes to local consumers through three storefronts in Clover SC, Gastonia NC, and Fort Mill SC, plus phone-based nationwide shipping sourced directly from fishing families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fresh Seafood & Meat Retail

NAICS

Fish and Seafood Retailers (445250), Fish and Seafood Retailers (44525), Meat Retailers (445240)

akta.pro primary industry

Seafood Markets & Fishmongers (CRAHAHAC)

Keywords

• Fresh seafood retail
• Quality meat retail
• Direct-to-consumer seafood
• Local seafood market
• Seafood shipping

Headquarters

HQ city

Clover

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail Fresh Seafood and Meats Sales: The company generates revenue through one-time retail sales of fresh seafood and quality meats at their physical store locations. Customers purchase products directly in-store, with optional shipping available upon phone inquiry.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Saltwater Markets operates three physical retail stores in South Carolina (Clover and Fort Mill) and North Carolina (Gastonia), selling fresh seafood sourced directly from fishermen worldwide and quality meats with guaranteed rotating weekly selections. The company emphasizes direct-from-fishermen sourcing, cutting out middlemen, and also offers phone-based shipping for customers outside the local area.

Product overview

Saltwater Markets is a retail seafood and meat company offering fresh seafood sourced directly from fishermen worldwide and quality meat selections. The company operates three retail locations in South Carolina (Clover, Fort Mill) and North Carolina (Gastonia), and also offers shipping services. Their business model emphasizes direct relationships with fishing families to ensure quality and freshness, bringing catch straight from partners to customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fresh Seafood Fresh seafood offerings sourced directly from fishermen worldwide, including family-run docks in New Zealand and the South Carolina coast. Sold at retail store locations with guaranteed rotating weekly selections, targeted at local community consumers and home cooks.
• Quality Meats Quality meat selections offered weekly at retail store locations, with guaranteed different selections each week. Targeted at local community consumers seeking quality meats for home cooking.
• Shipping Service Phone-based shipping service for customers outside the local store footprint, enabling delivery of fresh seafood and quality meats. Customers inquire and arrange shipping by calling the Clover store at 803-222-6057.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Vital Choice: Direct-to-consumer seafood and organic foods retailer with national shipping, built around sustainable wild-caught sourcing from trusted fishermen. Closely comparable mission and supply-side narrative to Saltwater Markets.
• ButcherBox: Subscription DTC meat and seafood company emphasizing humanely sourced, high-quality protein delivered to homes. Comparable as a digitally enabled fresh protein brand targeting household consumers with mixed meat/seafood boxes.
• SizzleFish: Online fresh seafood retailer offering fillets, shellfish, and smoked fish with direct shipping. Comparable as a DTC-first seafood specialist competing for the same direct-from-source customer mindset.
• Fulton Fish Market: Online and wholesale seafood retailer offering fresh fish and shellfish with nationwide shipping. Comparable to Saltwater Markets as a multi-channel fresh seafood seller with provenance and direct-sourcing emphasis, though operating at far larger scale.
• The Lobster Place: Specialty seafood market and online shipper with retail counter and nationwide delivery. Comparable in operating both physical seafood retail and a direct-to-consumer shipping channel.
• Rastelli's: Online retailer of premium meats and seafood with nationwide delivery, combining protein categories similar to Saltwater Markets' seafood-plus-meat offering under a quality-and-freshness positioning.
• Citarella: New York-based specialty fish market and gourmet retailer with both storefronts and online shipping, offering fresh seafood and quality meats. Comparable combination of retail storefront + DTC seafood and meat.
• Wild Alaskan Company: Subscription-based DTC seafood company shipping wild-caught Alaskan fish directly to consumers. Comparable as a digitally native, direct-from-fishermen seafood brand competing for the same provenance-driven customer.

Broad incumbents

• Wegmans: Large regional grocery chain with high-quality seafood and meat departments that competes for the same household fresh-protein shopping trips that Saltwater Markets targets in the Carolinas.
• Whole Foods Market: National grocery incumbent with strong fresh seafood and butcher counters. Comparable as a competitor for weekly fresh seafood and quality meat purchases, though serving a much broader grocery basket and customer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/share/1Wc82vTTDL/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saltwater-markets

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Saltwater Markets