Copper River Seafoods Named 2023 Alaska Manufacturer of the Year
Photo Credit: Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development
Copper River Seafoods is the Manufacturer of the Year for 2023, an award presented by the Made in Alaska program within the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (DCCED).
Recognizable Brand
Founded in 1996, Copper River Seafoods has grown from small beginnings in Cordova into a leader in the Alaska wild seafood industry, employing more than 700 people at its peak summer salmon season and supplying seafood to markets in Alaska and throughout the world.
“Copper River Seafoods has created one of the most recognizable brands in the seafood industry today,” says DCCED Commissioner Julie Sande, who presented the award last week during a tour of the company’s Anchorage processing facility.
The company networks with fishermen throughout Alaska to purchase a variety of wild seafood, such as halibut, cod, rockfish, and salmon, to deliver to customers in the state, the nation, and around the world. It works with several seafood delivery services throughout the United States, including Vital Choice and Alaska Fresh, which offer a convenient way for consumers to receive premium quality Alaska seafood delivered directly to their homes.
Sande adds, “In recent years, Copper River Seafoods has also been an innovator in its field by utilizing seafood byproducts and offcuts. By ensuring that the entire fish is marketable—not just the prime cuts of every filet—the company has reduced waste and created more value for the Alaska seafood resources they process.”
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Copper River Seafoods began when fourth-generation commercial fisherman Scott Blake banded together with three other Alaskan fishermen to create a company that would specialize in harvesting, purchasing, processing, and delivering wild-caught Alaska seafood.
“This award is special because it acknowledges our founders’ dedication to establishing our headquarters in Alaska, creating year-round jobs in the state’s seafood industry, and our commitment to manufacturing premium quality products locally. By doing so, we’re able to contribute to the local economy and supply the local market to ensure food security for our fellow Alaskans,” says Cassandra Squibb, chief marketing officer at Copper River Seafoods.
In collaboration with the Anchorage School District, Copper River Seafoods was awarded a Partnerships for Local Agriculture and Nutrition Transformation in Schools grant from the US Department of Agriculture to increase the volume of local food served in Anchorage schools. The district is one of only eight nationwide to be awarded this grant.
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