In 1961, Trident Seafoods co-founder and future CEO, Chuck Bundrant, was 19 years old, traveling from his home in Tennessee to the great Pacific Northwest in search of adventure. When he reached Alaska, he found adventure and then some. The next 12 years would take him up and down the coast, intimately acquainting him with the Alaskan wilderness and the ins and outs of fishing and crabbing in the pristine waters off its shores. Perhaps most importantly, it was during this time that he first made the acquaintance of fellow crab fishermen and future partners, Kaare Ness and Mike Jacobson. In those now-legendary days, the three of them would learn the expertise and make the connections that would enable them to found Trident Seafoods and build it into what it is today: an international, family-owned company of fishermen with 45 years of experience delivering top-quality products.
At Trident, fish is not just a commodity, it’s something they really believe in. They’re passionate about the craft, and see fish as the food of the future, maintaining it to be the healthiest and most sustainable protein in the world; leaving a smaller environmental footprint than pork, poultry, dairy, or beef. They’ve been pioneering fishing practices since 1973, when their ship the Billikin was the first in Alaskan waters to catch, process, and freeze King crab onboard a single ship.
With such a strong belief in the importance of fish in the global diet, it should go without saying that Trident is wholly committed to sustainability practices throughout all their operations. In fact, they like to say that they’re committed to “abundance,” not just sustainability. Their most well-known product, wild Alaska Pollock, is harvested from those same pristine waters that Bundrant explored as a young man. Of these waters, a company pamphlet asserts “This resource is not something we own. It has been entrusted to our care.” For Trident, sustainability must be more than a badge or certification. They aspire to go beyond the letter of the law.
One of the things that allows them to do this is the unique vertical integration of the company. They handle everything from fishing to processing and distribution. Trident’s private ownership continues to drive innovation around the globe with offices in China, Japan, and Germany. They’ve kept ownership in the family in order to guarantee faithfulness to their original values. Chuck’s son Joe now serves as CEO.
Trident Seafoods serves a global market hungry for healthy and sustainable seafood options. For 45 years they’ve been pushing themselves to make sure the world gets only the best seafood. In this pursuit, they don’t answer to investment bankers; just to themselves, their fishermen, and their customers. You can learn all about how to add Trident Seafoods family of products to your menu at their website: www.TridentSeafoods.com
