In January 2021, Peter Pan Seafood, a company with deep Alaska roots, was acquired by an American ownership group. One year later, the company has delivered on the promises it made and has unveiled a new brand identity.
The look harnesses the original spirit of the company, the connection to the company’s storybook namesake and honors the fishermen, employees and customers who have contributed to Peter Pan’s 123-year legacy in Alaska.
“The new brand image and Peter Pan logo symbolizes a bold step toward a bright new future,” said Rodger May, Peter Pan owner and chief growth officer. “Peter Pan has been around for 123 years, and we want to be around for many, many more years to come.”
Peter Pan’s portfolio of products includes Double Q and Demings, consistently the No. 1 brands for pink and red 14.75-oz. canned salmon in the U.S. Not only that, but these brands have also been sold continuously for 100 years.
The new Peter Pan brand is based on extensive historical research to ensure it both pays respect to the early-century founders and reintroduces the origin story of the company’s name.
“We’re often asked if Peter Pan Seafood got its name from the play, and the answer is yes,” May said. “After viewing the theatrical version of Peter Pan in the early 20th century, the then-owners of the company decided it was a fitting character to be the company’s namesake. The company has retained its name ever since.”
“When we reflected on it, we drew so many parallels between the seafood company and the character,” May said. “We are making bold moves that are quite similar to the brave adventurer of the original story. The connection is there, so we wanted the new branding to reflect that.”
These parallels are already reflected in the bold, new direction Peter Pan Seafood is headed after its first year. In Juner, Peter Pan bucked a 25-year trend of delayed pricing announcements and demonstrated leadership in Bristol Bay by announcing higher base prices for sockeye earlier in the season than tradition. A month later, the company upped that price.
After reviewing the season’s data this fall, the company once again raised the bar by increasing the sockeye base price to $1.45 per pound, plus quality incentives. That’s not all. Facing continued pandemic hurdles, leaders at the company were determined to make this season a success and the company increased its processing workforce at the Dillingham plant alone by 20 percent as the industry recovers from jobs lost in 2020.
In its second year under new ownership, Peter Pan will continue executing its vision to produce sustainable seafood for the benefit of oceans and people. That vision focuses on devotion to customers and stakeholders and a desire to be a global supplier of top-quality, responsibly sourced seafood. In 2022, the company will release new value-added products to the market under the brand’s new identity.
The ownership group of Peter Pan Seafood Co. is Rodger May of Northwest Fish, the Na’-Nuk Investment Fund LP (managed by McKinley Alaska Private Investment LLC and McKinley Capital Management LLC), and the RRG Global Partners Fund (managed by RRG Capital Management LLC).
