Pacific Seafood Clackamas expands value-added offerings, promotes executive

Pacific Seafood Clackamas is augmenting its value-added retail offerings, and recently promoted an executive to lead the expansion.

The Clackamas, Oregon, U.S.A.-based company, one of Pacific Seafood Group’s seven distribution centers, promoted Traci Chidester from retail sales manager to assistant general manager. Chidester will work with the existing Clackamas leadership team to oversee both sales and operations for the new value-added line.

“There’s been a trend in recent years toward ready-to-eat [and] ready-to-cook products that make seafood more approachable and easy to prepare at home, and COVID has only accelerated movement in that direction,” Chidester told SeafoodSource.

Seeking to take advantage of the trend, Pacific Seafood has expanded its variety of sauced and seasoned tray pack options, “and [is] continuing to work with our R&D team and corporate chef to develop new, on-trend meal solutions,” Chidester said.

Among its new retail tray pack options are Honey Miso Aioli Atlantic Salmon; Coconut Curry Butter Atlantic Salmon; Chef’s Special Recipe Crab Cakes; and Shrimp Skewers.

“We also have items being vetted currently to build on the success of our frozen value-added products like our Seasoned Shrimp, which has been one of our best sellers online,” Chidester said.

Chidester began her career at US Foods, where she oversaw national accounts, before joining Smithfield as regional sales manager. At Pacific Seafood, “Chidester has garnered a reputation for successfully handling the company’s most complex accounts through the several roles she has held – including sales for foodservice and retail key accounts and as a district sales manager,” Pacific Seafood Clackamas said in a press release.

The Clackamas facility primarily focuses on private label value-added seafood items.

“One of the best parts of my position is collaborating with our customers and R&D team on customized products tailored to their consumer audience,” Chidester said. “Here in Clackamas, we’re seeing demand from our retail customers for both fresh and frozen meal solutions that are sold in store as well as through their online channels.”

Photo courtesy of Pacific Seafood