'Consumers want to eat clean, and they want unprocessed, unrefined foods that taste delicious....'
Tinned Plant-Based Fish Brand Seed to Surf Announces National Whole Foods Rollout
UNITED STATES
Friday, June 14, 2024, 01:00 (GMT + 9)
Seed to Surf, a Canadian plant-based seafood company, has announced its expansion into more than 150 Whole Foods Market locations across North America starting this month.
Tinned fish, but make it vegan
That’s the idea behind Toronto-based Seed to Surf, a plant-based seafood company that launched in 2022 with two tinned products: Mushroom Snow Crab, made from enoki mushrooms, and Celery Root Whitefish made with smoked celeriac. The products use whole vegetables and have clean labels with just a handful of ingredients, such as seaweed and sea salt.

The company was recently highlighted in the Whole Foods 2024 Trend Report for its innovative approach to plant-based seafood, earning recognition for “Fancy Faux Fish” and “Putting the ‘Plant’ Back in ‘Plant-Based.'”
The products are shelf-stable for 2-3 years, catering to the growing demand for long-lasting, plant-based options that help reduce food waste while boosting global accessibility. The shelf-stable food market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 12.5% through 2031, according to industry projections.
According to co-founder Alexandra Bergquist, there is a gap in the market for vegan kinds of seafood that use whole vegetables. “Consumers want to eat clean, and they want unprocessed, unrefined foods that taste delicious. That led us to create our first couple of SKUs,” says Bergquist. “We are a plant-based seafood company, but we use whole vegetables to recreate a seafood experience.”
Seed to Surf had recently become the first Canadian company to join Whole Foods Markets' Local and Emerging Accelerator Program (LEAP). Launching in 2022, the 12-week program offers participants personalized educational sessions, mentoring and the possibility of direct financial support. Each participant's products are also considered for placement on the shelves of Whole Foods stores in their home city or region when the program ends. Only 10 innovative food brands, including Seed to Surf, were selected from 1,000 applicants for the Early Growth cohort.
Expansion and market presence
Since its launch, Seed to Surf has expanded to over 300 retail locations across Canada and the United States, partnering with notable retailers such as Erewhon and Bristol Farms in California.
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