Nissui Group opens new processing plant in the U.S.

Japanese seafood corporation Nissui announced that its group company, Gorton's, Inc., has opened a new processing plant in Lebanon, Indiana, in the U.S. Although the news has been announced in October, the company said that operations at the production facility, which will focus on value-added products, began in mid-September, while the opening ceremony was held a few days later, on September 30.

Gorton's joined Nissui in 2001 and has since expanded its business in North America, focusing on white fish products made primarily from Alaska pollock, a line that leads the U.S. market for home-cooked frozen seafood, while working to expand its shrimp-based products.

To achieve this goal, the company needed additional production capacity, which is why it decided to establish a new plant. Construction began in February 2024 and, as mentioned, it was inaugurated last September.

The plant was built in collaboration with Gorton's distribution partner, United States Cold Storage, Inc. — based in Camden, New Jersey — which provided support in facilities such as refrigerated warehouses and in logistics.

With its addition, the company's total production capacity will increase, allowing Gorton's to continue to capitalize on growing consumer demand.

The processing company said, however, that its flagship plant in Gloucester, Massachusetts, will remain Gorton's main production facility. Meanwhile, this new plant in Lebanon, Indiana, will focus on producing value-added products, optimizing product lines, and will enable further supply chain flexibility for superior customer service.

Nissui highlighted that, thanks to this expansion of production capacity in North America, the Group will continue to grow its overseas food business and provide innovative food solutions to people around the world.

In its long-term vision 'Good Foods 2030', the Japanese corporation identifies accelerating global expansion as a key challenge and, regarding the overseas food business, aims to become the undisputed global leader in fried seafood products using white fish and shrimp.

Thus, the Nissui Group has been building a global supply chain for seafood and, since the 2000s, has established its 'Global Links' framework with overseas group companies and partner companies that share the same vision.

Examples of this strategy include operations such as the acquisition of the Neetherlands' company Maxima Seafood to expand its European portfolio; its investments in the aquaculture business in Africa through two private equity funds; or its stake in New Zealand's Sealord, which it owns equally with the company's largest Maori-owned fishing company, Moana New Zealand.