A New Meaningful Venture: Tocabe’s Investment in Arctic Circle Wild Seafood

Tocabe’s vision has always been to make Indigenous foods and ingredients accessible and to support Native food producers, farmers, and ranchers. Arctic Circle Wild Seafood (ACWS) is now owned by three Indigenous companies, with 25% owned by Tocabe and Red Lake, Inc. 

Arctic Circle Wild Seafood, majority owned and operated by Michael and Lydia Scott, is a company that supplies Indigenous sourced, wild-caught Alaskan salmon out of the regional Iñupiat Eskimo trading village of Kotzebue, Alaska. Fishing is a way of life for people in this region, making sustainable harvesting and respectful handling of their catch a top priority to ACWS. Located in the only commercial fishing port above the Arctic Circle, fish sourced by ACWS is of the highest quality. 

The fish supplied by ACWS are hand caught using gill nets by a team of 90% Native fisherman and are collected into small skiffs. Ensuring quality and freshness is top  priority to ACWS, so all fish are immediately cleaned and chilled in ice to bring their body temperature down to 32.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Each day’s harvest is always expedited to the airport for transport, where it is then flown to the ACWS packaging and processing center before being distributed.

Red Lake Inc., owned entirely by the Red Lake band of Chippewa Indians, has multiple enterprises, including Red Lake Nation Foods. Red Lake Nation Foods is unique because they are the sole American Indian tribe within the United States that grows and harvests wild rice on Native lands. Their products include wild rice, jams/jellies, batter mixes, syrups, and handmade gifts and are Native American made and produced.

Both Tocabe and our long-term partner, Red Lake Nation Foods, are committed to providing specialty products that honor their Native heritage. Tocabe and Red Lake Nation Food’s partnership with ACWS precedes the launch of Tocabe Harvest Meals, many of which feature products supplied by Red Lake Nation Foods. Tocabe Harvest Meals are more than just nutritious, easy meals; they celebrate the story of our American Indian heritage through Native-sourced ingredients and traditional recipes with a Tocabe twist.

By collaborating with Indigenous food producers, farmers, and ranchers, we, along with our partner Red Lake Inc. are striving for food security in Native communities through our efforts to create self-determinant Indigenous food systems. This partnership with Arctic Circle Wild Seafood is a great stride towards achieving this goal, as we collectively expand the reach of Native-sourced Alaskan salmon.