In honor of our new facility's grand opening in Elmwood, New Orleans, we are taking a walk down memory lane to explore our long history together.
The year was 1995, and in the heart of New Orleans, a bustling city known for its vibrant culture and mouth-watering cuisine, a new seafood company was about to make its mark.
The company, Inland Seafood, had been in operation for eighteen years out of its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, and was known for supplying the best seafood products in the Southeast. As a company made up of food industry vets and former chefs, New Orleans was like a second home to the Inland team, and a highly desirable market for their business.
Inland entered the New Orleans food scene with tuna in the early 90s. The company took up a shared facility at Louis Armstrong Airport in Jefferson Parish, where they could easily import and distribute what quickly became known as the best tuna in town. It was then that Inland began building a reputation among the city’s culinary scene for its unmatched quality and service. The growing demand for fresh seafood in the region would soon call for an expansion of Inland’s tuna operation into a full-scale distribution facility for a diverse range of seafood, specialty proteins, and artisan goods.
Inland Seafood opened its first full-service distribution facility in the late 90s at 2527 Perdido Street, supported by a group of local employees who enabled the business to evolve and grow into one of the leading suppliers of seafood in the region. Then, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina blew through the city, damaging the building and flooding the production plant, leaving the company with no choice but to shut down until repairs could be made.
Recognizing the ongoing need for fresh food in the city, and with access to an undamaged facility, Inland immediately returned to its first location at the airport to maintain uninterrupted service to the area. Inland was one of the only distributors left standing and able to service New Orleans, and the team knew they carried a great obligation to help feed the city. It was during this time that Inland began solidifying itself as a true local vendor.
In the months that followed, as the water cleared and the city began to get back on its feet, the Inland team continued to support the city’s rebuild, donating product where needed and supplying restaurants and grocery stores with fresh seafood as they reopened.
The Perdido facility rebuild was completed in late 2006, and the team began to return to business as usual. Over the years that followed, the company continued to support the New Orleans community through thick and thin. 2010 brought the BP Oil Spill, sending local fishermen to shore for months. Inland’s infrastructure and established operation in Atlanta enabled them to continue supplying New Orleans with fresh seafood from across the globe at a time when accessing local seafood was impossible.
Then in 2021, New Orleans was hit by Hurricane Ida, which damaged the building on Perdido Street beyond repair. Inland was determined to maintain its commitment to the local industry, and never shuddered its operations, using temporary facilities shared with a local shrimp processor in Tangipahoa Parish until moving to a slightly more permanent location at The Port of Chalmette. Inland NOLA employee owners rallied together and grew stronger as a team working in Chalmette. They knew this was only a temporary solution, and that Inland NOLA would be back better than ever.
Inland finally found its new home in 2022 on Brookhollow Esplanade in Elmwood. Their new, state-of-the-art 14,000-square-foot facility includes a cut shop and processing area, both refrigerated and frozen storage, and loading docks. It has been designed to meet the growing demand for fresh, frozen, and value-added seafood, meat and specialty products in the Gulf Coast.
"We are thrilled to be opening this new facility, and that we are able to continue supporting the New Orleans community and the local economy," said Jonathan Comeaux, General Manager of Inland NOLA. "None of this would have been possible without our incredible team of employees, contractors, vendors, and our customers who have stuck by us through it all. ”
The new facility is staffed by a team of experienced food industry professionals, dedicated to ensuring that customers receive the best possible service and support. Inland Seafood has always kept its commitment of providing its customers with a wide range of high-quality proteins and specialty foods, and to ensuring that they receive them in a timely and efficient manner, and their new facility in Elmwood helps bolster that even further.
Inland has continued to establish relationships with fishermen in The Gulf region and grow its customer base by supplying the best local seafood to New Orleans’ famed restaurant scene and retail outlets. The company persists in its commitment to supporting The Gulf community and sources its native species from local fishermen. This includes finfish, crabmeat, crawfish, oysters, and so much more.
"We are proud of our long history in the New Orleans region, and we look forward to continuing to serve our customers throughout the Gulf Coast for many years to come," said Comeaux.