Pescavore is a seafood snack brand that is passionate about providing consumers with healthy products that are sourced responsibly and ethically.
In this interview, Clarice Owens, co-founder and CTO of Healthy Oceans Seafood Company, producer of Pescavore, discusses her inspiration for starting the company, the challenges and rewards of promoting sustainability in the seafood industry, and her vision for the company’s future.
What was the inspiration behind starting Pescavore?
In 2013, I accompanied my husband, Matt, on a business trip to a remote part of the Pacific known as the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Matt’s work revolves around protecting the world’s tuna fisheries while ensuring the well-being of the people who rely on them. During our stay, we stumbled upon a hidden gem in the hotel gift shop – marlin jerky, crafted by the families of the Marshall Islands Marine Resource Authority. We savored this delectable fish jerky throughout our trip and returned home with curiosity about why this nutritious protein wasn’t more readily available in the United States.
My career journey began in Aerospace Engineering, where I made significant contributions to top-tier technology companies such as Boeing (working on the F22 Raptor), Solar Turbines (developing CARB compliant gas turbine engines), and Bloom Energy (advancing solid oxide fuel cells).
However, as an underrepresented Black woman in a STEM field working in Silicon Valley, I became disheartened by the limitations I encountered. I very much yearned for opportunities to make a more substantial impact and unburden myself from the constraints imposed by discrimination.
Healthy Oceans Seafood Company and then, in turn, Pescavore quickly became the platform for Matt and me to merge our expertise and interests. The product of years of vision, dedication, and hard work – Pescavore has evolved into our family-owned and operated business, positioned at the crossroads of food technology, environmental sustainability, social activism, and ocean stewardship. The Company serves as a testament to our resolute commitment to making a meaningful impact and forcing disruptive change all while leading an inspired life.
How do you ensure that your products are sourced using sustainable fishing methods, and how do you work with fishermen to protect marine ecosystems?
Thanks to substantial investments and effective regulations, the United States is at the forefront of responsible fisheries management. With the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, we have access to a significant volume of sustainable seafood products that we can source domestically.
Our journey began with California-caught “ahi,” which is responsibly sourced yellowfin tuna from a fishery certified by the Marine Stewardship Council. The catch is brought into San Pedro, just South of Los Angeles, and the tuna is harvested using the eco-friendly method of free school purse seining from small-scale vessels. This method, recognized by organizations like Greenpeace and Seafood Watch, is one of the most responsible and environmentally friendly ways to catch tuna.
There are very few fisheries like it worldwide, the other one being in New Zealand, another global leader in responsible fisheries management. We’ve established direct partnerships with the fourth-generation families who own and responsibly operate these vessels.
In the coming months, we have plans to introduce wild Alaskan salmon, which is another plentiful and sustainably sourced domestic seafood option. Additionally, we’re exploring opportunities to work with invasives like Dogfish, a voracious shark responsible for ecosystem decline in the Gulf of Maine. Beyond the branded Pescavore endeavors, our mission also encompasses addressing the nutritional requirements of vulnerable populations by offering meticulously designed and cost-effective, safe, and value-added seafood solutions.
Unfortunately, over 90% of the seafood consumed in the United States today is imported, with approximately 35% of it caught here, processed abroad, and then returned for consumption. These approaches not only carry a substantial carbon footprint but also make the supply chain vulnerable to issues like poor traceability, fraud, and various social and environmental problems, including human rights abuses in poorly regulated foreign seafood supply chains.
Our goal is to raise awareness and promote demand for locally sourced and responsibly harvested seafood products, ultimately contributing to the health of our oceans and the resilience of the coastal communities that we call home.
What challenges have you faced in promoting sustainability and ethical sourcing in the seafood industry, and how have you worked to overcome them?
Every venture has an impact, both positive and negative. We’ve dedicated ourselves to creating innovative and progressive products while establishing responsible and licensed supply chains that not only benefit our brand but also elevate the entire sustainable seafood industry. It’s crucial to recognize that the ocean covers over 70% of our planet’s surface. With the global population heading towards an overwhelming 9.85 billion, and the limited arable land available to produce enough food for this growing population, it’s evident that the ocean and real seafood products have a fundamental role to play in feeding the world.
Wild seafood, in particular, offers an environmentally friendly advantage, with a carbon footprint up to 95% lower than other animal-based alternatives. The latest estimates suggest we could be harvesting 16 million more tonnes of seafood each year if global fisheries were better managed. Here in the US, in addition to an over-reliance on foreign imports, consumption has been in cyclical decline owing to poor seafood literacy and a troubling culture of misinformation largely emanating from fear-mongering and unethical, anticompetitive tactics from competitors in the so-called “plant-based” sector.
We believe it is in everyone’s best interest to help educate consumers as to the presence and value of wild, farmed, and potentially even cultivated seafood products while helping to boost demand for sustainable and planet-positive proteins. These market-based strategies help to reduce demand for less environmentally sound protein alternatives, like factory-farmed meat products and unethical or poorly traced sources of seafood. It’s an exciting time to be engaged in this work. The seafood industry has seen very little real innovation and remains ripe for disruption.
It hasn’t been all positive. Our relentless commitment and community engagement over the past decade have made a significant impact. However, it’s disheartening to see that not all new entrants in this market share our commitment to responsibility. Some adopt our rhetoric and even our origin story without putting in the work to ensure the responsible sourcing of their products, safe and sanitary supply chains that protect consumer health, honest and transparent communication regarding health attributes and environmental impacts. And/or declining to help build capacity that promotes economic progress, especially for fishermen.
Our advice to retailers and supply chain participants is to scrutinize market entrants carefully to ensure that they follow through with their claims. This includes everything from dolphin safety and verifying the country of origin to ensuring that the facilities producing the products are properly licensed and have ethical supply chains. It also means understanding the carbon footprint of different products, both in terms of their packaging lifecycle and the carbon intensity of supply chains. It’s a collective effort and shared responsibility of all market participants to not only ensure a sustainable future for the seafood industry but to also enforce a culture of transparency and fair dealing that protects consumers and promotes a fair and free marketplace.
From a social perspective, calls for greater ethnic and gender inclusion within the seafood industry are gaining momentum. Historically, this sector has been disproportionately represented by men of European descent and woefully underrepresented by ethnic minorities – especially in positions of leadership. However, it’s crucial that the investments made in these equity-enhancing efforts are directed towards individuals and organizations with a proven track record in creating real opportunities and driving meaningful change. Broad-based, performative platitudes that are devoid of tangible action serve no legitimate purpose.
Regrettably, the loudest voices aren’t always the ones making the most significant impacts. Those genuinely committed to fostering and investing in equity should proceed with care and discernment as genuine progress towards diversity and inclusion demands thoughtful and deliberate action, led by those who have a history of producing tangible results and with a view toward the organization looking internally and rooting out bias and prejudice.
We are deeply intentional about equity within our organization, providing opportunities for our staff and partners to thrive. For instance, as a founding principle, our business seeks to provide job opportunities to disadvantaged and marginalized populations who we, in turn, lift through employment and training opportunities that promote professional leadership development.
Beyond delivering direct human capital to our own business, we are also contributing to our community by investing in and enabling a workforce with skill sets that will vastly and positively differentiate the competitiveness of the US and California food production workforce. Such commitments have gained us well-deserved and distinguished recognition and investment by the USDA among others.
Ultimately, for the seafood and the food industry more broadly to deliver its promise, those with the power to create the future must unlearn systematic racism, acknowledge disparity, and amplify BIPOC leaders. Not only is representation and inclusion rational and just, but it also delivers the types of dividends that are essential to maximizing value and profits while creating a more just and rational society.
What advice would you give to individuals considering launching a startup, especially in the food industry?
My advice is to “slow down to go fast.” It’s important to understand that products entering the market with the capacity to address pain points while establishing responsible supply chains can generate value that benefits society, the environment, and economic growth. Conversely, introducing products into fiercely competitive markets without delivering substantial solutions or that come from irresponsible supply chains can be counterproductive to positive growth, especially when these products heavily rely on venture capital and private equity funding that often prioritizes performance at any cost, hindering progress.
While capital markets are rapidly evolving to better assess true value, entrepreneurs should also focus on creating products that improve the lives of Americans, such as addressing underserved populations, while taking into account the genuine environmental and social footprint of their products and services. Assessing impact should always be from a position of honesty, and transparency, and from direct sector expertise, applicable, and direct knowledge of the subject field, and 3rd party endorsement.
Designing with intent and considering defensibility is key to generating substantial value for both the enterprise and society at large. I recommend reading three books for valuable insights: “The Innovator’s Dilemma,” “Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future,” and “Ramping Your Brand: How to Ride the Killer CPG Growth Curve.”
What are your plans for expanding the availability of your products in the future?
We launched the brand in September of 2018 but had many challenges to overcome to be ready to scale. Last year, we commissioned our first manufacturing plant right here in the beautiful seaside community of Santa Cruz, California – a stone’s throw from the historic Monterey Cannery Row. We have, in turn, grown our footprint into key customers like Safeway, Target, and REI. We are now gaining retail commitments that put us on a clear course to maximize the utilization of our current plant.
Our next steps involve applying the insights we’ve gained here to expand our reach across the entire country – making our products available wherever jerky is sold. Ultimately, we aim to address global markets by establishing a platform and replicable model of distributed, responsible capacity, all while offering premium products that can drive positive social and environmental change.
by Tony O. Lawson
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