CenSea, Inc.

CenSea, Inc. Sourcing responsibly, distributing reliably for your joy of cooking!

For over 60 years, CenSea has been sourcing high-quality frozen seafood from nearly 25 countries and distributing to restaurants, distributors, and retailers across the US. CenSea®, a family-owned seafood company for the past 60 years, is one of the largest importers of frozen seafood in the United States. From its corporate offices in Northbrook, Illinois, the company markets a variety of quality

seafood items from nearly 25 countries to a diverse array of customers including restaurant chains, foodservice distributors, retailers, and wholesalers.

Good shrimp carries the story of where it came from: the water, the season, the hands that raised it, long before it rea...
08/28/2026

Good shrimp carries the story of where it came from: the water, the season, the hands that raised it, long before it reaches a plate.

We source ours from Thailand, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Ecuador, Mexico, Bangladesh and more. Each origin brings different conditions, yet the shrimp that reaches you stays firm, clean, and consistent every time.

We hold every origin to the same standard. Every batch is BAP-certified and checked the same way, no matter where it comes from.

The origin changes. The standard doesn't.

08/25/2026

Shrimp is farmed largely in the warm coastal waters of Asia and Latin America, and caught wild in the open ocean, two very different starts to the same ingredient. From there, it takes a dozen different shapes: raw or cooked, shell-on or peeled, whole or stretched straight for a proper tempura.

None of these are cosmetic choices. Where a shrimp comes from affects its texture and size. How it's prepared determines what a kitchen can actually do with it. Get either one wrong, and the dish, or the business behind it, feels the difference.

CenSea has spent decades mastering exactly that: sourcing shrimp from waters around the world, and shaping it into the format each business genuinely needs.

Done properly, every single time.

08/21/2026

, Jeff Stern, and Mike Cape have spent nearly a hundred years combined in this industry. What they built with that time is the rare part.

That's decades of relationships, small decisions, judgment, and reputation, built slowly, into what CenSea stands for today.

That kind of legacy is exactly what carries forward when a company becomes part of something larger. As CenSea continues its journey within Captain Fresh's Powerhouse of Brands, that same judgment, and reputation, and relationships are still what define it.

Full series link in comments.

08/14/2026

Good food starts with a focus on quality. It's a simple principle, one we've spent 65 years making sure we never lose sight of.

For us, that means shrimp sourced with care and shaped into exactly what your business needs: raw or cooked, shell-on or peeled, tail-on or off, and additional formats built around how your business operates.

08/14/2026

Good food starts with a focus on quality. It's a simple principle, one we've spent 65 years making sure we never lose sight of.

For us, that means shrimp sourced with care and shaped into exactly what your business needs: raw or cooked, shell-on or peeled, tail-on or off, and additional formats built around how your business operates.

Foodservice

Nobashi is a Japanese technique: shrimp scored along the belly in a few clean cuts, then drawn out by hand until it lies...
08/12/2026

Nobashi is a Japanese technique: shrimp scored along the belly in a few clean cuts, then drawn out by hand until it lies perfectly straight.

Done properly, it holds that shape all the way through the cooking process, instead of curling the moment it hits hot oil.

The result is a straighter, more consistent presentation, every batch, without any extra prep on your end.

This is CenSea's Nobashi shrimp, farm raised, peeled, deveined, tail-on, made specifically for tempura, sushi, and appetizers that need to hold their shape.

Worth trying for your next menu or order?

08/07/2026

Every Monday, we start over.

Supply shifts. Customer needs evolve. The work begins again and so does the responsibility to make the right call.

For more than six decades, CenSea has grown by staying close to the industry: learning which risks are worth taking, which shortcuts never are, and how experience becomes judgment when the answer is not obvious.

In this edition of Captain’s Corner, our Co-Presidents Jeff Stern and Nate Torch, and Vice President Michael Cape, join Captain Fresh founder Utham Gowda to examine the principles, instincts, and decisions behind CenSea’s journey.

Not simply how a business grows, but how it endures.

Watch Captain’s Corner – Founder’s Edition.

Link in the comments.

Shrimp doesn't come from just one place, and it was never meant to be treated that way. Some of it comes from generation...
07/31/2026

Shrimp doesn't come from just one place, and it was never meant to be treated that way. Some of it comes from generations of fishing families who know their waters better than anyone. Some of it comes from farms that have spent decades perfecting consistency and scale. Over the years, we've brought all of that together under one house, so that whatever kind of shrimp your business needs, chances are we already source it, and we source it well.

That's really the idea behind everything we do. Different origins, different strengths, one standard we don't compromise on.

We've been doing this since 1960. Long enough to know that no two businesses need the same shrimp.A distributor needs it...
07/29/2026

We've been doing this since 1960. Long enough to know that no two businesses need the same shrimp.

A distributor needs it to move. A retailer needs it to sell itself. A restaurant chain needs it to show up exactly the same way, every time. A manufacturer needs it to perform consistently, batch after batch.

We source our shrimp and other seafood from 25+ countries to make sure each of those needs actually gets met, and after 65 years, getting the format right is the part we're genuinely good at.

If you're not sure which one fits your business yet, that's alright. That's usually where the conversation starts.

Every seafood program works differently.Restaurant chains count on repeatable results across locations. Retailers look f...
07/23/2026

Every seafood program works differently.
Restaurant chains count on repeatable results across locations. Retailers look for formats that fit their handling and merchandising needs. Food manufacturers rely on specifications that perform at scale.

By combining a broad seafood portfolio with global sourcing, product knowledge, and practical support, CenSea helps businesses build stronger seafood programs.

We start with how the seafood will be used, then help customers identify the species, size, cut, and pack format that best fits their operation.

Because the right seafood is not only about what goes into the case. It is about how well it works for your business.

Address

400 Skokie Boulevard, Suite 110
Northbrook, IL
60062

Telephone

+12247235800

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when CenSea, Inc. posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to CenSea, Inc.:

Shortcuts

Share

Category