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How a Sardine Gets From the Ocean to a Can

Odd Lots

Hosted by Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway

57m
Transcript

Original podcast

Summary

Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.

This episode of Odd Lots explores the global tinned fish industry, focusing on the supply chains, market dynamics, and recent disruptions affecting sardines. Hosts Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway speak with Becca Milstein, founder and CEO of the premium tinned fish brand Fishwife, about how she built the company during the COVID-19 pandemic and navigated sourcing from multi-generational European family-owned canneries. The conversation delves into the impact of the Moroccan sardine export ban due to overfishing and climate pressures, the differences between wild-caught and farmed fish supply chains, and the challenges of scaling a high-growth brand in a long-lead-time industry.

  • Anchovies are salt-cured in rock salt barrels for 12 to 36 months rather than heat-treated, giving them a much shorter shelf life than other tinned fish. 12:44
  • Farm salmon accounts for 70 to 80 percent of globally consumed salmon and offers a much more manageable, year-round harvest schedule than wild-caught options. 58:07

Chapters

  1. 0:00
    Podcast Intro and Host Banter

    Joe and Tracy open the episode with lighthearted conversation about fish preferences and set the stage for the sardine discussion.

  2. 5:33
    Introducing Becca Milstein and Fishwife

    The hosts welcome Fishwife founder Becca Milstein, explaining the brand’s focus on premium canned fish and its mission to elevate sardines.

  3. 10:00
    Market Response to Sardine Shortage

    Fishwife’s sardine sales surge as consumers turn to premium products amid scarcity, prompting discussions on pricing and inventory management.

  4. 22:35
    Challenges of Scaling Production

    The conversation covers early supply‑chain hurdles, including limited canneries, high lead times, and the need for air‑freight during shortages.

  5. 30:17
    Impact of Moroccan Sardine Ban

    Becca explains how Morocco’s export ban on frozen sardines has reshaped sourcing, pushing Fishwife toward sustainable European fisheries.

  6. 31:32
    Sustainability and MSC Certification

    The hosts discuss the importance of Marine Stewardship Council certification and how Fishwife’s sourcing aligns with responsible fishing practices.

  7. 35:10
    Future of Canned Fish and Consumer Trends

    Joe and Tracy speculate on the evolving DTC landscape, the rise of premium canned fish, and how brands can adapt to changing consumer expectations.

  8. 42:39
    Climate Change and Fish Populations

    The hosts explore how warming waters, plankton shifts, and regulatory measures affect sardine stocks and the broader seafood industry.

  9. 49:18
    Branding, Packaging, and Influencer Strategy

    Becca details Fishwife’s branding philosophy, the role of illustration, and a commission‑based influencer program that avoids high flat fees.

  10. 52:39
    Tariff Impact on Aluminum Tins

    Becca explains how recent tariffs on aluminum packaging affect canning costs and supply chain dynamics.

  11. 54:33
    Premium Branding and Market Positioning

    Discussion of how Fishwife created a premium tin fish category and the challenges of scaling brand value.

Highlights

  • 4:45

    Moroccan Sardine Export Bandata

    Morocco, which historically exported about 50 percent of the world's sardine supply, imposed an export ban on frozen sardines to preserve raw material for its own canning industry.

  • 11:02

    Spanish Anchovy Auction Processstory

    In northern Spain, fishermen land their catch using purse seine nets, bring the fish to local auctions graded by size and fat content, and sell directly to nearby multi-generational canneries.

  • 14:50

    Shelf Life Differencesinsight

    While most tinned fish products have a 5 to 7 year shelf life, salt-cured anchovies only last about a year because heat treatment causes them to disintegrate.

  • 26:44

    Long Lead Time Constraintsstrategy

    Scaling a tinned fish brand requires predicting demand up to a year in advance so canneries can properly secure raw materials for production.

  • 42:56

    Climate Migration of Forage Fishinsight

    Warming waters in the mid-Atlantic cause forage fish like sardines and anchovies to migrate to deeper or colder locations that are harder for commercial fishermen to access.

  • 53:22

    European Import Tariffsdata

    Importing tinned fish products from Europe involves navigating complex tariffs and duties, such as a 15 percent European tariff introduced in April 2025.

Quotes

  • “Morocco, which apparently exports something like 50% of the world's sardine supply, has imposed a ban on sardine exports because of, again, citing reports, overfishing.”
    Tracy Alloway · 4:45
  • “They are cured through that salt curing method. So they're not actually heat treated, which makes them a dramatically more sensitive product and a much shorter shelf life product than the rest of our tin.”
    Unnamed speaker · 14:24
  • “I do think that we expect our sardine prices to go up.”
    Unnamed speaker · 47:37
  • “One is coming out tomorrow with, uh, Whole Foods. We're doing a collaborative series of toasts, which they've never done with any brand before.”
    Unnamed speaker · 49:36
  • “The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, but a maffle. They're also a very globally respected certifying body and they're the ones that have given, I think this fishery currently has a yellow rating, which is not bad.”
    Unnamed speaker · 44:52
  • “It's like millions and millions of dollars. We got refunded a million and a half dollars last month, which was great.”
    Unnamed speaker · 53:31
  • “We built the brand online, which, you know, hadn't, never happened in the, in the canned fish category before.”
    Unnamed speaker · 56:15
  • “Farm salmon makes up between 70 to 80% of the salmon that we're eating globally. Like if you're eating salmon, odds are you're eating farm salmon.”
    Unnamed speaker · 58:07
  • “I honestly think the trading up phenomenon when it comes to food inflation is a real thing.”
    Tracy Alloway · 1:01:11
  • Bloomberg 1:02:11–1:03:01
  • Mastercard 1:03:46–1:04:02
  • Bloomberg 991 FM 1:04:06–1:04:27

About this episode

Just a decade ago, tinned fish was hardly a premium product. Most Americans likely associated cans of tuna with thrift. But that has changed a lot in recent years. The category took off during Covid and now shoppers are shelling out for high end brands like Fishwife. Today's guest Becca Millstein started the company in 2020, positioning it as a distinct, artisanal product, more akin to one might find in European grocery stores. In addition to the sheer challenges of scaling, the nature of the business itself has changed, influenced by climate change and geopolitics (shortages have led Morocco to suspend frozen sardine exports for instance). We discuss the tinned fish supply chain and how a new brand positions itself in today's media market. Read more: What the American Tin Can Reveals About Trump’s Volatile Tariff Policy https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-07-26/how-trump-s-steel-tariffs-impact-america-s-tin-can-industry?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=odd_lots&utm_content=article Only Bloomberg.com subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox, plus unlimited access to the site and app. bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots?in_source=oddlotspodcast See omnystudio.com/listener https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

0:00
57:47

11,097 words · 8 speakers

Speaker names marked are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

Topics

  • Sardine
  • Fishwife
  • ChatGPT
  • Anchovy
  • Tuna
  • Spain
  • Morocco
  • Canned fish
  • China
  • Barclays

Page updated · transcript and summary are machine-generated