Tri Marine to open new cannery in American Samoa

Tri Marine, one of the world’s largest tuna companies, based in Bellevue, WA, is in the final phase of a four-year, $70 million rebuilding and expansion of what will be one of the industry’s most state-of-the-art tuna processing facilities. The new facility, named Samoa Tuna Processors (STP), is scheduled to commence operations in January and is anticipated to create 1,500 jobs when running at full capacity with the ability to process the equivalent of more than one million cans of tuna daily.

“We are incredibly proud of the new STP,” explained Renato Curto, CEO of Tri Marine. “It allows our company to serve our customers with a fully vertically integrated supply chain, with full traceability and compliance with the highest levels of chain of custody requirements. It is a great addition to our company’s ongoing leadership in improving sustainability and transparency in the tuna industry.”

In addition to adding to the company’s legacy of sustainability, the new STP plant has significant business advantages for the company and its many US and international customers. The new plant will enable US buyers to purchase high-quality tuna from US flagged vessels, processed in the US. Not only does this mean the products will be duty free coming into the US, but for those companies and organisations where “Made in the USA” is an important distinction.

“STP is a great example of how doing the right thing can also be good for business,” added Curto. “We are looking forward to raising the bar on sustainability and reducing obstacles for our customers who are eager to access the kinds of products we will be able to provide through both Tri Marine and The Tuna Store.”