Fortune International, a major distributor and importer of seafood, meats, and gourmet products in the US Midwest, has finalized the purchase of Kansas City operations of Seattle Fish, a Denver, Colorado-based seafood and gourmet products distributor serving more than 1,400 foodservice and retake customers. The acquisition will expand the Fortune Fish & Gourmet brand’s reach, as additional processing and distribution facilities are poised to boost activities in Missouri and surrounding states.
Bensenville, Illinois-headquartered Fortune International will continue to operate the business out of Seattle Fish’s Kansas City premises. The facility will be enhanced with the conversion to Fortune’s sophisticated energy resource planning, inventory management, and routing software as well as the introduction of advanced automation for uniformity and efficiency.
“This is our second strategic acquisition in the last twelve months in the region, and an important one for our future growth plans. We are thrilled to welcome the Seattle Fish Kansas City team to the Fortune family,” said Fortune President and CEO Sean J. O’Scannlain.
Seattle Fish expanded into the Midwest market in 2003 and opened a state-of-the-art facility there in 2015. It has operated as a seafood processor and distributor serving retailers, restaurants and clubs in the region for the last 16 years. The company will be rebranded as Fortune Fish & Gourmet.
Scott Godke, general manager of Seattle Fish Kansas City, has been hired by Fortune International and will continue to oversee the Kansas City operations. The purchase involves only the Kansas City arm of Seattle Fish, exclusive of its Denver-based processing and distribution business.
James Iacino, executive chairman of Seattle Fish, stated: “This is a strategic and beneficial transaction for both corporations. Having called Colorado and the Midwest home for over 100 years, we are looking forward to continuing that legacy while making strategic investments in our core market.”
Fortune International, which handles more than 10,000 products, embarked on an aggressive acquisition strategy in 2012. That year it purchased JDY Gourmet. Next came Chef Martin Old World Butcher Shop in 2014, followed by Coastal Seafoods in 2016, Lobster Gram in 2017, Morey’s Seafood International of Missouri in April of 2019, Classic Provisions Inc. of Minnesota in June of 2019, and Jubilee Seafoods of Alabama in July of 2019.
