Seed to Surf brings traditional seafood experience to plant-based tinned fish, expanding reach in US

20 Jun 2024 --- Seed to Surf, a company specializing in tinned alt-fish, has entered into the national grocer category in North America with its debut at Whole Foods Market locations across the country. The company uses whole vegetables to imitate traditional seafood and recreate a “seafood experience.”

Seed to Surf is harnessing enoki mushrooms and celery root as key plant-based ingredients in its innovations of tinned Snow Crab and Smoked Whitefish.

According to Alex Bergquist, co-founder of the company, Snow Crab is the company’s “plant-based interpretation of snow crab, using real enoki mushrooms” which give the product the “chew” of crab and a stringy texture.

“You can enjoy our mushroom-based Snow Crab in rice bowls or ramen, fry up a mushroom crab cake, or squeeze some lemon and eat it straight from the tin,” she tells Food Ingredients First.

Enoki Mushroom has the “chew” of crab and a stringy texture, says Bergquist.

Meanwhile, Seed to Surf’s celery root Smoked Whitefish is “a modern twist on a forever favorite,” and is the company’s take on smoked whitefish, she details.

“It combines the textural complexity of celeriac root, with that smoked fish umami you know and love and is amazing on salads, sandwiches and ‘seacuterie’ boards.”

“Celery root flakes like fish, but it also really tastes of the natural hardwood smoke flavor,” Bergquist notes.  

“We’re reimagining the seafood experience, creating flavorful seafood products that mimic the experience of tinned fish but are made from whole vegetables. When prepared and preserved right — using fresh, high-quality ingredients — we discovered that whole vegetables offer an innovative, delicious and sustainable take on the premium tinned seafood.”

The “limitless” potential of plants
Bergquist views the company’s plant-based seafood not as a compromise” but a “fresh reinterpretation of seafood that highlights the limitless potential of plants.”

Commenting on what other ingredients are used, she reveals the company uses kombu/kelp along with natural flavors to give an authentic fish/seafood flavor. 

Seed to Surf offers two plant-based products, a tinned Snow Crab made from enoki mushrooms and a Smoked Whitefish made from celery root.Seed to Surf is working on a line of vegan seafood soups for the winter. “We also hope to launch a mushroom scallop in 2025,” Bergquist tells us. 

More than tinned fish
According to Seed to Surf, its tinned alt-fish products are created with “incredible flavor and versatility in mind,” with the company also boasting clean label ingredients. 

The company is also committed to sustainability as it harnesses plastic-free, zero-waste packaging and the company’s products are also shelf-stable with a two to three-year shelf life. 

“Tinned fish is truly having a moment right now, so it’s important for us to bring vegans, vegetarians and vegetable lovers to participate in the tinned fish trend,” Bergquist. 

She is eager to collaborate with Whole Foods to provide plant-based options to consumers in stores. 

The female-founded and led company is celebrating brick-and-mortar scale and Seed to Surf products are now available in over 150 Whole Foods locations in the US.

In just a year since its launch, Seed to Surf products have been available in over 300 retail locations across Canada and now the US. The company has also successfully partnered with major retailers such as Erewhon and Bristol Farms in California.

Ahead of the retail launch, Seed to Surf was featured in the Whole Foods 2024 Trend Report, recognized for “Fancy Faux Fish” and “Putting the ‘Plant’ Back in ‘Plant-Based.’”

Whole Foods program
The company recently became the first Canadian company to join Whole Foods Markets’ Local and Emerging Accelerator Program (LEAP). Launched in 2022, the 12-week program provides participants with tailored educational sessions, mentorship and the potential for direct financial support. 

When the program ends, each participant’s products are also considered for placement on the shelves of Whole Foods stores in their home city or region. Ten food brands, including Seed to Surf, were selected out of 1,000 applicants for the Early Growth cohort.

You can watch a recent video interview with Bergquist here.

By Elizabeth Green