Family Passion with Global ambitions.
Cooke Aquaculture was established in 1985 by the Cooke family in Blacks Harbor, New Brunswick. From humble beginnings of one farm site and 5,000 salmon, Cooke Inc. is now the largest private family-owned seafood company in the world employing more than 13,000 people worldwide.
The Cooke family of companies operate global aquaculture and wild fishery divisions in 14 countries providing a sustainable seafood source reaching tables all over the world.
Our Mission
To cultivate the ocean with care, nourish the world, provide for our families and build stronger communities.
From Small Family of Companies to Global Seafood Leader
An obsession without limits
There’s just no telling where the passionate pursuit of freshness and variety will take you. In our case, it’s led us to establish operations in nine countries around the globe, and harvest more than 25 core species of fish.
But wherever your seafood comes from, you can be sure that it’s produced by caring people in thriving communities. We are a company of 13,000 employees. We live and work in the communities where we fish or where we farm. We bring prosperity to coastal communities and take pride in bringing you fresh, high-quality seafood.
Corporate Timeline & Key Achievements
The Cooke family’s entrepreneurial spirit has taken the company upstream over the past 30 years – through the industry’s early development to today’s modern, sophisticated food production industry.
Glenn, Michael and Gifford Cooke establish first farm at Kelly Cove, New Brunswick.
Purchase of first hatchery at Oak Bay, New Brunswick.
Incorporated Cooke Aquaculture Inc.
Cooke establishes True North Salmon, begins processing, marketing and distributing salmon under True North Salmon brand in Canada and US.
Establishes GMG Fish Services Ltd.
Acquires Atlantic Fish Specialties Ltd. in Prince Edward Island, expands value added.
Acquires Grand Isle Fish Farms Ltd. in New Brunswick.
Acquires Saddle Island site in Nova Scotia.
Acquires Di-Anna Aqua Inc., Double O Fish Ltd. and Rattling Beach Farm Ltd. in Nova Scotia.
Establishes Shoreland Transport.
Acquires Fundy Salmon Ltd., L&J Salmon Ltd., Silver Hatchery.
Acquires Jail Island Aquaculture in New Brunswick.
Purchases Charlotte Feeds.
Purchases Atlantic Salmon of Maine.
Acquires East Coast operations of Heritage Salmon.
Acquires East Coast operations of Marine Harvest (formerly Stolt Sea Farm).
Begins expansion of Newfoundland and Labrador operations.
Acquires former Shur-Gain Aquaculture feed plant in Truro NS to establish Northeast Nutrition Inc.
Achieves Seafood Trust eco-label certification.
Acquires AC Covert Distributors.
Acquires Salmones Cupquelan S.A., in Chile.
Acquires Ocean to Ocean, an importer, frozen seafood distribution and marketing company.
Acquires Culmarex S.A., the largest sea bass and sea bream farming operation in Spain.
True North Salmon processing facilities certified to British Retail Consortium (BRC) Standard for Food Quality and Safety.
Salmones Cupquelan, earns Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification in Chile.
Cooke achieves Canada’s Best Managed Companies Platinum Club member status.
Glenn Cooke is featured on the TV show Undercover Boss Canada.
A.C. Covert of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, launches Jail Island brand for wild-caught seafood.
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Dalhousie University create Cooke Industrial Research Chair (IRC) in Sustainable Aquaculture with Dr. Jon Grant.
Cooke achieves Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification for North America.
Cooke acquires Meridian Salmon Farms Limited (now Cooke Aquaculture Scotland).
Cooke family creates Cooke Seafood USA Inc. and acquires the Wanchese Fish Company.
Cooke Seafood acquires Icicle Seafoods, Inc.
Cooke Seafood USA acquires Grinfin, a hake fishery subsidiary of Fripur based in Argentina.
Cooke family acquire the assets of Fripur S.A., and establishes Cooke Uruguay.
Cooke Aquaculture Chile acquires Marine Harvest processing plant in Tepual, Chile.
Cooke Inc. acquires Omega Protein, a nutritional product company and a leading integrated provider of specialty oils and specialty protein products.
Cooke acquires The Fish Company, a Florida based seafood distribution company.
Cooke Aquaculture Inc. is named the winner of the 2018 Private Business Growth Award.
Cooke acquires Seajoy Food Corporation Group, one of the largest vertically integrated, premium shrimp farms in Latin America
Cooke acquires Farallon Aquaculture de Nicaragua S.A., a vertically integrated producer of farmed shrimp and a leading supplier of branded fresh-frozen shrimp.
Cooke acquires All Seas Wholesale, Inc., a California based seafood distributor of up to 40 species of fresh seafood, live shellfish, and frozen products.
True North Seafood, Inc. the processing division and flagship brand of Cooke Inc., acquires the business of Mariner Seafood, LLC, in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Mariner, an international fresh and frozen seafood company, specializes in processing a broad range of premium wild and farmed species including scallops, haddock, cod, salmon and shrimp.
Shoreland Transport, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cooke, acquires Nova Scotia-based Connors Transfer Limited, a trucking and transportation company with a fleet of 143 trucks and 261 trailers with four terminal locations.
Cooke acquires Morubel, the leading shrimp processor in Western Europe that cultivates, processes, packs and distributes shrimp and other seafood products.
Cooke and Ganong, two well-known, entrepreneurial New Brunswick family companies, team up to strengthen and grow Canada’s oldest candy and chocolate company.
Cooke Inc. acquires Tassal Group Limited, Australia’s largest vertically integrated seafood producer which distributes and processes salmon, prawns and other seafood in fresh, smoked, and frozen categories.
Cooke aquires Slade Gorton one of United States largest distributers, importers, and manufactrers of fresh and frozen seafood.
Family of Companies
