NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. — Antarctica Advisors LLC, the leading Seafood Industry-focused M&A advisory firm, acted as the exclusive investment banking advisor to Sea Fresh USA (“Sea Fresh”), one of the largest processors of fresh, premium-quality, wild-caught Loligo Squid in the U.S., in its sale to Oceano Seafood (“Oceano”), an international fishing and processing conglomerate from Lima, Peru.
Founded in 1981, Sea Fresh USA is a fully integrated seafood business with fishing, unloading, processing & packing operations. Sea Fresh has docking operations in Galilee, RI (Handrigan Seafoods) and a BRC-certified processing facility in North Kingstown, RI. The company is well known for its fresh and frozen Squid products distributed through retail and foodservice.
James Fox, Owner of Sea Fresh, commented: “Oceano has been a customer of ours for several years and we are excited to be their first acquisition in the U.S. market. We are thankful to have worked with the Antarctica Advisors team who played a key role in helping us navigate this complex transaction process. Their senior banker M&A advice was critical to the structuring and negotiating the best possible transaction for me and my employees.”
Ignacio Tirado, President of Oceano Seafoods, shared: “It is an honor to continue Jim Fox’s legacy and to join the company’s experienced management. We aim to continue investing and growing the business in the U.S. and integrate it our global sourcing capabilities into it.“
Ignacio Kleiman, Managing Partner of Antarctica Advisors, pointed out: “Sea Fresh provides Oceano direct access to the U.S. market with a brand recognized for its high-quality fresh Squid products. We very much appreciated the opportunity to have worked with Sea Fresh’s team and look forward to watching the company’s continued growth.“
For Oceano, the acquisition of Sea Fresh expands its international footprint while deepening its supplier network and presents numerous synergies facilitating growth including diversifying its product offerings with access to the U.S. market.
Antarctica Advisors is the leading US-based, independent investment banking firm providing corporate clients in the global Seafood Industry with specialized M&A advisory, private equity and debt capital raising services. The firm’s highly specialized Seafood Team is comprised of professionals with significant knowledge of the Seafood Industry, as well as a proven track record of successful transaction execution.
Antarctica Advisors LLC is a licensed broker-dealer, member of FINRA and SIPC.
