Ocean Garden logo.
Image: Ocean Garden.
CenSea, a subsidiary of Indian seafood distributor Captain Fresh, has acquired Ocean Garden, in a deal which brings together two key U.S. seafood players.
“The seafood industry is continuing to evolve, and by joining forces with Ocean Garden, we are further positioning ourselves to create a more resilient and customer-centric seafood conglomerate," said CenSea co-president Nate Torch, in a press release announcing the acquisition.
Founded in 1960 and headquartered in Illinois, CenSea is one of the largest importers and distributors of frozen seafood, particularly shrimp, in the United States. The company was acquired by Captain Fresh in February 2024.
Ocean Garden, which specialises in Mexican and Ecuadorian shrimp, was founded in 1957 by an association of Mexican shrimp boat owners. The company, headquartered in San Diego, California, has since grown to become one of the largest seafood importers in the U.S., supplying foodservice distributors, restaurants and supermarket chains.
The deal sees CenSea acquire the entire Ocean Garden brand portfolio, including Ocean Garden, Compass, Asian Garden and Pride of Mexico.
"Ocean Garden has been a well-respected brand and household name with respect to Mexican shrimp, both wild-caught and farmed, as well as other origins produced for their array of brands. We are excited to leverage the strength of their brand and product portfolio to provide a stronger basket and a greater variety of products to our customers, Torch said.
As part of the acquisition, the Ocean Garden team, including President and CEO Celso Lopez, will also join CenSea under co-Presidents Nate Torch and Jeff Stern, the company said, with this “combined expertise” expected to support “growth, innovation, and market expansion”.
The financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed by the companies.
Founded in 2020 as an online trading marketplace for seafood, Captain Fresh is now one of the world's largest exporters and distributors of fish and seafood. Over the past year, it has since been steadily acquiring a series of seafood brands in Europe and the U.S., adding CenSea to its portfolio in 2024, in addition to French shrimp company Senecrus and Polish smoked salmon company Koral.
