Acme’s Adam Caslow: Banner Acquisition Shows ‘We Believe in This Sector’

Brooklyn, New York, USA-based Acme Smoked Fish Corp. has acquired competing smoked fish brand Banner Smoked Fish.

Adam Caslow, managing partner of Acme, said he is optimistic that the seafood industry will improve in the second half of this year. The longtime supplier of smoked seafood is open to more acquisitions.

Brooklyn-based Acme did not disclose terms of the deal but said in a news release that it has had a decades-long relationship with Banner Smoked Fish in a “fair competition” relationship.

Banner founder Avi Attias and his son, Banner’s operator manager Eli Attiaswill join Acme and the company operations will move from Coney Island to Acme‘manufacturing facility in Greenpoint, New York. Both suppliers will continue to offer smoked and canned fish specialties under their own brands.

“We‘“We are excited to combine two family businesses with a common goal of producing exceptional smoked fish,” said Caslow, a fourth-generation Acme owner. “This‘“This is an exciting time to be working with the Attias family; our shared heritage and commitment to quality will allow us to better serve our growing customer base.”

Founded in 1988, Banner offers a similar product line to Acme, including smoked salmon, whitefish, sable, tuna, herring, trout, hake and smoked fish salads.

“It’s a business we know … and Banner has a lot of the same products we already make. That’s part of what makes it so seamless,” Caslow told SeafoodSource.

Caslow declined to disclose Banner’s annual sales, but said the company primarily serves the bagel and deli foodservice market in New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the U.S., while about 60 percent of Acme’s business is retail and 40 percent is foodservice.

“Banner already has some good relationships with the customers it serves, and this is the right time to reach out to customers with whom we could do more business,” Caslow said.

Acme products are kosher certified, but Banner has a higher level of kosher certification than Central Rabbinical Congresswhich Caslow says is attractive to some higher-end kosher stores.

The company said Caslow and the Acme team have been working closely with Banner for several months to ensure quality standards are maintained during the transition period.

With this acquisition, Caslow is optimistic about Acme’s business and the financial recovery of the entire seafood industry in the second half of the year.

“The entire industry has been hit by inflation. It’s been a tough year for seafood,” Caslow said. “We expect the market to improve. We all know that seafood plays a big part in the protein equation. We believe in this sector and finding ways to make it successful.”

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