April 11, 2012 – Sword boat captain and New York Times best-selling author Linda Greenlaw has teamed up with swordfish and tuna distributor Great Oceans, LLC to create Linda Greenlaw Select® brand fresh sword and tuna. The partnership aims to provide the highest quality fish available, harvested with environmentally friendly methods to sustain the fisheries while promoting healthier diets rich in seafood.
Linda Greenlaw Select® swordfish and tuna was first made available to select supermarkets, restaurant supply chains and fish markets throughout the U.S. and Canada beginning in January. However, according to Greenlaw, “it was really launched at the Boston International Seafood Show a few weeks ago. We had a lot of enthusiastic interest at the show, but we have to see what shakes out. We are really at the ground floor of this project,” she said.
Great Oceans CEO Don Intonato agreed. “We had a great show in Boston,” he said. “I think [Greenlaw’s] going to do very well with it. Both our suppliers and customers are very enthusiastic about the fact that she’s partnered with us. She’s just wonderful to work with,” he said. “She brings enthusiasm and I think everyone can see that.”
Greenlaw is excited about her latest project because “branding of a fresh product is very unusual,” she said. “No one is doing it.” Great Oceans, the largest supplier and distributor of swordfish and tuna in the U.S., had been thinking of branding fresh fish, which hadn’t been done before. “We needed a celebrity like Linda,” said Intonato. “She’s been fishing for a long time and she’s been a captain for a long time. We thought this was something that was the future,” he said. According to Intonato, the benefit of branding a fresh product is primarily for retail business. Great Oceans has facilities in Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Maryland and Boston. They had been doing a lot of retail business at their Boston location in particular. “We felt it would be an attraction to retailers to have a brand because that’s what they’re used to,” said Intonato. “Like any brand, it gives an assurance of quality.”