Wild Alaskan Company, the subscription seafood brand built on a direct-to-consumer model, is launching a five-product lineup at Target stores nationwide, a rollout that began Sept. 13 and continues over the coming weeks.
The move brings a digital-native brand, and the subscriber data behind it, into the frozen seafood case. The Homer, Alaska-based company says nearly a decade of subscription insights points to why shoppers skip the seafood aisle: they don’t trust unlabeled seafood, can’t tell good from bad and aren’t confident cooking it, a diagnosis with merchandising implications for a category where trust drives conversion.
“Nearly a decade of subscriber data has shown us that seafood has a trust problem the rest of the grocery store solved years ago,” said Emily Buckley, SVP of brand and innovation at Wild Alaskan Company, who led the retail launch strategy. “People want sourcing they can verify and feel good about, and a piece of fish they actually know how to cook. Target’s team saw that same opportunity.”
The in-store lineup, with selection varying by location, features Pink Salmon, Sockeye Salmon with Lemon & Herb Butter, Wild Alaska Pollock Fillets, Wild Alaska Pollock Quick Cuts and Sablefish (Black Cod), drawn from the brand’s portfolio of more than 30 products. Each is wild-caught, sustainably harvested in Alaska and frozen at peak freshness, delivering 14 to 23 grams of protein per serving.
Room for growth
The category headroom is considerable: only one in 10 Americans eats the two weekly seafood servings recommended by USDA dietary guidelines, and nearly 80 percent of the seafood Americans consume is imported, according to NOAA data the company cites, even as Alaska remains the largest domestic source.
“In order to advance our mission, we need to get more Americans eating more American seafood, more often,” said Arron Kallenberg, founder and CEO of Wild Alaskan Company, who grew up in a multigenerational Alaska commercial fishing family. “This partnership gives us another powerful way to make premium, wild-caught seafood more accessible as an everyday protein.”
Founded in 2017, Wild Alaskan Company built its subscription business alongside one of the largest wild seafood cooking platforms, with more than 600 recipes, a cookbook and a weekly newsletter aimed at building cooking confidence. The brand previously sold through Target Plus, the retailer’s online marketplace, and the launch aligns with Target’s broader push into health and wellness.
Related: ASMI Helps Build Trust, Loyalty In Alaska’s Sustainably Caught Seafood