Mark Foods and Arista Industries’ Seafood Division, two specialists in premium, frozen, sustainably sourced seafood, announced that they have agreed to combine and move forward together as Mark Foods. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Mark Foods is a leading US importer, processor and marketer of premium seafood products that was founded in 2002 by CEO Barry Markman.
Founded in 1930, Arista Seafood is a valued partner to many of the largest food service distributors and retailers. The combined company will be a leader in frozen seafood, selling approximately 100 million pounds of seafood and generating annual revenue exceeding USD800m. The company will continue to focus on Chilean Sea Bass, Farm-Raised and Wild-Caught Shrimp, New Zealand Mussels, Lobster, Pasteurized Crab, Spanish Octopus and other seafood products.
The President of Arista Industries, Alan Weitzer, Arista Seafoods’ General Manager Joe Weitzer, and the entire Arista Seafood team will join Mark Foods as part of the transaction. The Arista Seafood team significantly expands Mark Foods’ talent pool and sales operations, doubling the employee base to more than 50 team members with a combined sales team of 20 individuals.
“We are pleased to welcome Arista Seafood and its team to Mark Foods’ premier seafood sourcing and distribution platform. Together, we will be a leading importer of premium seafood with more scale, a broader product offering and new expansion opportunities. I have long admired the Arista Seafood team and the business they have built, and I am thrilled to welcome them to the Mark Foods family. Looking ahead, our combined leadership team is eager to work together in delivering the highest-quality seafood to our customers,” Barry Markman commented.
With the completion of the transaction, all Arista Industries shareholders have become shareholders in Mark Foods. Mr. Markman remains the controlling shareholder of Mark Foods. Arista’s specialty oils business is not part of the transaction and will continue to operate as Arista Industries, Inc. with no changes to the ownership group and no changes to the Specialty Oils Team’s management and personnel.
The combination with Arista Seafood is the latest in a series of growth initiatives undertaken by Mark Foods over the last several years. In 2019 it partnered with key suppliers to build Openwater Seafoods, a processing facility in Orlando, Florida, which is now the leading processing facility for Chilean Sea Bass globally.
In 2021 Mark Foods acquired a significant interest in Endeavor Seafoods, a leading importer and marketer of seafood products based in Newport, Rhode Island. In 2022 Mark Foods hired Josh Burman, an experienced seafood industry executive to expand its sales and marketing programs and launch a fresh fish importing operation. Additionally, Arista Industries, Inc. acquired Penguin Frozen Foods, a leading distributor of gulf domestic shrimp, in 2021.
Find out more at: http://www.markfoods.com/