Save Da Sea Foods Inc.

Market position

Save da Sea is a small Canadian entrant in the plant-based seafood category, describing itself as having a first-mover advantage in North America for its product type. It was featured in the 2024 Whole Foods Top Trends report under the "Fancy Faux Fish" category, was among the five finalists at the Vegan Women Summit's VWS Pathfinder female plant-based founder pitch competition in 2020, and appeared in PETA's 2025 ranking of top vegan seafood brands.

The products use minimally processed whole-food bases (carrots and jackfruit) rather than heavily processed formulations, and the company emphasizes matching seafood's nutrients and flavour without mercury, toxins or plastics. Ownership of its own Victoria production facility gives it direct control over capacity and margins, and the founder cites first-mover positioning in the plant-based seafood category.

Technology

Products are made from minimally processed whole-food ingredients formulated to mimic the taste, texture and nutrient profile of seafood: carrots as the base for smoked salmon alternatives and jackfruit for tuna salad. Manufacturing takes place in the company's own equipped facility in Victoria after an in-house move from a Vancouver co-manufacturer.

Go-to-market

The company began with a foodservice focus, marketing to restaurants, then shifted to consumer packaged goods retail when the COVID-19 pandemic affected restaurants in early 2020. For US entry it engaged BeyondBrands, a New York consulting agency led by Eric Schnell, for pricing and market strategy, and worked with the broker Ying Yang Naturals to reach retail buyers, alongside a firm hired for US packaging design. It exhibited at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim in March 2022 with support from the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service and Trade and Invest BC, and participated in the Canadian Taste Makers Virtual Accelerator Program and WeBC's Trade Accelerator and Investoready programs.

Retail grocery and natural-foods chains, and their consumers, including vegan, plant-based and flexitarian shoppers seeking seafood alternatives; the founder also initially targeted the restaurant/foodservice sector.

Geography

Headquartered and manufacturing in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, with retail distribution across Canada and planned expansion into the United States beginning with the Pacific Northwest; the founder has also received inbound interest from Japan.

History

Founded in 2019 with a foodservice focus, the company pivoted to consumer packaged goods retail in early 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kaltenbach raised seed funding and, at a pitch event in early 2021, was matched with US CPG mentor Eric Schnell. In late 2022 the company took over a Victoria food manufacturing facility, financed with a WeBC business loan alongside funding from Coralus, moving production in-house from a Vancouver co-manufacturer. In May 2024 it closed a CAD 650,000 seed II round to fund US expansion and hiring.

Risks & controversies

The founder cited operational challenges including supply chain disruptions, rising costs, equipment failures and retailer delistings. Products are premium-priced, which the company identified as a concern amid inflation. The fresh products' 70-day shelf life and Canada's long shipping distances constrain distribution, and US retail entry involves long lead times, such as Whole Foods' annual category reviews followed by roughly nine months before shelf placement. Access to conventional bank financing was described as effectively unavailable at the company's size.