Carson, California, U.S.A.-based Southwind Foods recently entered an agreement to acquire Fort Bragg, California-Caito Fisheries, solidifying a business relationship that’s older than Southwind itself.
The acquisition includes Caito’s four locations in the U.S. state of California – San Francisco Pier 45, Fort Bragg, Eureka, and Crescent City. All the locations buy fresh seafood from California fishermen, including Dungeness crab, salmon, black cod, halibut, and rockfish.
Southwind Foods President Sam Galletti told SeafoodSource the two companies have done business each other for decades, and the acquisition will allow Southwind closer access to the fishermen that Caito Fisheries relies on. Both companies are family-owned, and Galletti said the relationship between the Caito brothers and Southwind is older than Southwind, which was founded in 1999.
“My family business, which started way before I was old enough to work, they were already doing business with Caito back in the late ‘70s,” Galletti said. “The relationship between the two organizations and the two families goes way back.”
Galletti said the acquisition will not fundamentally change how Caito Fisheries is operated, with the Caito brothers – John, Joe, and Jim – all remaining with the company.
