US-based Bayou Best Foods has acquired German startup BettaF!sh (Wunderfish) to create a global plant-based seafood operation with a presence in retail and foodservice markets.
Founded in 2024 by CPG industry veteran Kelli Wilson with IP from defunct seafood startup New Wave Foods and backing from investor Big Idea Ventures, Bayou Best works with co-packers to supply plant-based shrimp to restaurants across the US via Sysco, US Foods, PFG, Ace Natural, and What Chefs Want.
It has also launched a breaded shrimp product with Plantega in the New York tri-state area, now in around 100 locations. The products are made from pea protein, alginate, sunflower oil, and potato starch.
Founded in 2020 by Deniz Ficicioglu and Jacob von Manteuffel, Berlin-based Wunderfish supplies plant-based salmon and tuna to the European retail and foodservice market. The products are made from textured vegetable protein (TVP), seaweed, and rapeseed oil.
In the near term, Bayou Best Foods’ plant-based shrimp will become available to BettaF!sh’s foodservice partners across Europe, while BettaF!sh’s plant-based tuna (‘TU-NAH’) and salmon (‘SAL-NOM’) will be introduced to Bayou Best Foods’ US network over time.
By joining forces, the pair can “move faster, reach more customers, and help shape the future of seafood together,” said Ficicioglu.
Market drivers for alt seafood
While the average consumer is largely unaware of the laundry list of problems linked to the seafood industry from overfishing to heavy metals, microplastics, fraud, mislabeling, illegal labor practices, and bycatch, chefs are paying attention, Wilson told AgFunderNews.
A small but growing number of consumers is also starting to think more about safety and traceability when it comes to seafood, she added.
For some customers, the allergy-friendly positioning resonates while others are looking for plant-based options beyond burgers and sausages, said Wilson, noting that Bayou Best’s shrimp can be used in everything from po’boys and quesadillas to shrimp baskets, stir-fries, soups, and appetizers.
At its core, however, Bayou Best’s proposition is simple: great flavor, competitive pricing, and a consistent, reliable supply, says Wilson, who claims the firm’s shrimp has been steadily gaining traction in the US foodservice market since Q3, 2025.
As the products are made with simple blending, heating and forming rather than extrusion, Bayou Best is also able to match conventional shrimp on price, said Wilson, who noted that the shrimp market is notoriously volatile.
“Some of our customers don’t know from one week to the next what they’re going to be paying for shrimp. If you have it on your menu and the price goes up 30%, you can’t necessarily just raise your price by 30%.”
Cross-pollination
The Wunderfish deal gives Bayou Best an established European base and a complementary product portfolio, says Wilson, who met Wunderfish at the Anuga trade fair.
The near-term strategy is cross-pollination. Bayou Best plans to introduce its shrimp into Europe through Wunderfish’s existing customer base, starting in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and expanding into Spain, Italy, and Portugal. Over time, it will bring Bettafish’s tinned products and other affordable fish alternatives to the US.
The acquisition also brings operational and R&D synergies, said Wilson, who said she had initially discussed collaborating with Wunderfish but come to realize that joining forces made more sense.
While several players in the alt seafood space including Canada-based Konscious Foods have recently called it quits, Wilson remains confident that the demand is there if firms can get the cost structures and execution right.
“It has to taste good and it has to be affordable, and we’re ticking both those boxes. The biggest indicator for us that our product has been validated in the market is that 90% of our customers are reordering, so it’s phenomenal, the brand loyalty and the following that we’ve got.
“One of our bigger customers is in the center of the country in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which you wouldn’t necessarily expect for plant-based seafood.”
