Plant-based seafood company The ISH Company announces it has entered a strategic, non-exclusive distribution agreement with Dot Foods, the largest food industry redistributor in North America.
ISH states the agreement will enable it to expand distribution across the continental US and provide food greater service access to its seafood alternatives, such as Shrimpish.
“We’re on a mission to put plant-based seafood on plates worldwide”
According to ISH, its products are currently available in select restaurants and campus dining halls, including at Harvard and Amherst. Through Dot Foods’ distribution ecosystem, ISH will increase availability of these products, providing food service companies nationwide with more healthy and sustainable seafood options.
“Making strides”
“At ISH, we’re on a mission to put plant-based seafood on plates worldwide, empowering people to make choices that are healthier for their body, but also better for our planet,” said Christie Fleming, President and Chief Operating Officer at The ISH Company.
She continued, “By distributing our plant-based seafood products with Dot Foods, we’re making strides in that mission and working towards a future where every restaurant and food retailer provides plant-based seafood options. We look forward to integrating new products with Dot Foods as we continue to innovate in the plant-based food industry.”
Most popular seafood
The company’s flagship product is Shrimpish, a realistic plant-based shrimp alternative made from ingredients like green coconut, konjac, and soy protein. ISH states that shrimp is the most popular seafood item in the US, but is responsible for causing four times more greenhouse gas emissions than beef. When a food service company purchases 360 pounds of Shrimpish instead of shrimp, ISH reveals, it is equivalent to taking 1 car off the road for an entire year.
The new distribution agreement comes just months after ISH raised $5M in seed funding in January. To date, the company has raised $10M in funding, and plans to use the financing to build a “robust” product portfolio that includes 25 new seafood alternatives, including plant-based crab, lobster and cod.
ISH has also signed on for partnerships with seafood giants Thai Union and Chicken of the Sea.
Meeting plant-based seafood demand
“Today’s consumers expect innovative, sustainable products at their fingertips whenever they walk into a food establishment or engage with a food retailer,” said Park Plank, Director of Business Development at Dot Foods. “By making The ISH Company products available to our expansive network of food service distributors, we’re ensuring operators can delight consumers with unique, delicious, and environmentally-friendly shrimp alternatives.”
He added, “Dot values innovation so much that it is a part of our brand promise, and we’re proud to play a role in the ISH journey as it continues to pave the way for innovation in the plant-based food industry and meet the high demand for plant-based seafood options.”
