Delivering Sustainable Seafood

Every year, fishermen in Monterey Bay, California, haul in boatloads of black cod, salmon, rockfish and shrimp.1But most people in the area eat frozen Chilean Sea Bass or tilapia filets from China. Alan Lovewell, who comes from a Cape Cod fishing family, thought this was sad. So, in 2012, he started Real Good Fish, a member-supported fishery, to connect consumers to fresh, sustainable local catch.

"Monterey Bay has a really rich fishing heritage," says Alan, "but I saw that fishermen were having a harder and harder time making a living." He believed that to maintain the industry and its culture, people needed to better support their area fisheries. So he set out to do something about that.

Starting with 146 members, Real Good Fish grew quickly, doubling the number of its deliveries in the first year. Locals were clearly hungry to connect with the Monterey fishing heritage. Today, the fishery has 1,000 members, six employees and two vans. "The members are experiencing seafood in a way they never have before," he says. "This is fish you get excited about.”

Despite the success of Real Good Fish, the business experienced tight cash flow. But a $100,000 Mission Main Street Grant from Chase will now change that. The grant will not only allow Real Good Fish to add an operations manager and another van, it will also expand the business's capacity and distribution so it can meet demand. "To a small business, $100,000 means a lot," says Alan. "To be able to make that level of investment means that we can make a much bigger impact."