E-commerce specialist Wild Alaskan Company moves into processing with Home Port Seafoods purchase

Homer, Alaska, U.S.A.-based online seafood retailer Wild Alaskan Company acquired Home Port Seafoods on Monday, 3 April.

Home Port, based in Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A., was founded in 1992 by Glen “Benny” Bischus and Jeanne Bischus. Their daughter, Christie Benson, has served as the company’s vice president since the late 1990s and has overseen day-to-day operations with the company since the mid-2000s. Post-acquisition, Home Port Seafoods will still operate as a standalone business under the Wild Alaskan Company.

The acquisition will give Wild Alaskan, which enjoyed explosive growth in its frozen seafood home-delivery service during the Covid-19 pandemic, processing capacity and access to Home Port Seafoods’ network of foodservice and retail customers.

“We recognize that catching, processing, and selling fish are distinct endeavors, each with unique challenges and opportunities,” Wild Alaskan Company Founder and CEO Arron Kallenberg said in a press release. “But the reality is that Wild Alaskan has reached a scale where we can no longer afford not to be in the processing business.”

The acquisition of Home Port Seafoods will allow Wild Alaskan Company to better meet the growing demand for its products and to expand its product offerings, Kallenberg said. Kallenberg, a third-generation Alaska fisherman and tech entrepreneur, founded Wild Alaskan in 2017, using logistics software he developed himself to streamline shipping and doorstep delivery. The company is now one of the largest seafood internet retailers in the country and one of the fastest-growing direct-to-consumer brands. 

Currently, the company offers three different types of boxes of wild-caught, frozen seafood domestically sourced from the United States – a whitefish box featuring Pacific cod, halibut, and rockfish; a wild salmon box containing coho and sockeye salmon; and a combo box combining all of the company’s seafood offerings. Boxes are available in two sizes, a 12-pack of six-ounce portions or a 24-pack of six-ounce portions. They are shipped once a month, with users able to skip a shipment or cancel their subscription at any time.

“We’re excited about growing Home Port’s existing production capacity, value-added capabilities, and customer base,” Kallenberg said. “We’ve learned a lot about the American seafood consumer over the years. We look forward to applying those learning to provide Home Port’s customer with more product offerings and turnkey solutions.”

Following the acquisition, Benson will  oversee Home Port’s daily operations as the company’s CEO.

Photo courtesy of Wild Alaskan Company