By Bob Sacks
ASBURY PARK – It’s no secret that the restaurant industry has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, which means that its suppliers have suffered as well. When the first wave of the virus hit in March and caused an abrupt halt to dining out, many of the smaller dining establishments had difficulty paying their food providers’ existing balances, having cash on hand to restock their pantries, or even staying in business for that matter.
Eric Morris and his partner Mike Kenlay, co-owners of Local 130 Seafood, a wholesale purveyor of fresh fish and seafood sourced primarily from local fishermen and based in Asbury Park, were faced with covering bills of their own, as well as finding a way to keep their business afloat. They wound up with $60,000 worth of fish and seafood sitting in their cooler, which they generously chose to donate to soup kitchens and homeless shelters. Thus far, the pandemic has motivated them to donate almost 100,000 meals to the hungry.
The company, started by Morris a number of years ago, was initially run from his parents’ basement in Tenafly; its mission at the time was to buy fish directly from boats and sell it at wholesale. After a period of time, it morphed into selling directly to restaurants, with the thought that “we want to support people in our own backyard…and know the chain of custody” of our products, according toMorris.
Ultimately, with restaurant closures, the company saw the need to pivot to retail, which had already been a long-term goal. Starting with Shopify – an ecommerce platform used to build a store both online and offline – they then realized that it was a good time to take the shot and grow in that direction. “We redid the website to allow for home delivery via our own vehicles,” Morris said.
When the restaurants reopened, albeit on a limited basis, home delivery became slightly diminished, but Local 130 was committed to growing their retail business. In order to accomplish that, they established a consumer-friendly retail outlet at 1305 Memorial Drive in Asbury Park.
Going forward, Morris and Kenlay envision even more expansion of the retail side of their business, as well as supplying larger retail outlets, such as Sickles Market and others. They will continue to provide fresh fish and seafood to restaurants, but realize they cannot rely solely on them to prosper and grow. They have also introduced prepared foods, such as lobster and tuna fish salads, steamed lobsters, shrimp salad, salmon burgers, cooked lobster meat, potato salad, coleslaw and other grab-and-go items available at their retail location. Morris wants to provide “sea-to-table products, for health-conscious, educated consumers.”
It is readily apparent that the duo’s commitment to quality and the environment is paramount in their plans. Local 130 believes that “the same fluke that we have today should still be available to our children and grandchildren.”
The heart of their philosophy is to support local economies and small businesses. When asked about the origin of their name, Morris explained that “130 is the number of miles of the New Jersey coastline.” He further said, “We are not a union, but we represent the hard-working men and women of the New Jersey coast.”
Listed on their website (local130seafood.com), available for home delivery, store pickup or at select local farmers markets as long as the season permits, is an extensive menu of fresh fish and seafood such as sustainable Atlantic salmon, locally sourced dayboat scallops, wild caught sushi-grade tuna, local fluke (winter flounder), wild caught halibut, local black bass fillet,Listed on their website (local130seafood.com), available for home delivery, store pickup or at select local farmers markets as long as the season permits, is an extensive menu of fresh fish and seafood such as sustainable Atlantic salmon, locally sourced dayboat scallops, wild caught sushi-grade tuna, local fluke (winter flounder), wild caught halibut, local black bass fillet, dayboat codfish, dayboat mahi-mahi, wild caught tuna toro (belly), as well as other fresh fish and local shellfish, such as clams, oysters and shrimp.
Local 130 offers line-caught local swordfish and prefers to purchase the smaller sized fish which provide greater consistency and allow for a more rapid turnover of inventory, thus insuring freshness. If a certain fish is not available locally, Local 130 will source other domestic fisheries, limiting imports as much as possible. They also sell Three Forks Local Greens, salad greens grown on hydroponic farms in Lincroft and Keansburg without the use of pesticides, as well as a selection of Two River Gourmet Mushrooms grown in Tinton Falls by Sea Bright resident K. C. Sullivan.
“Local 130 never stopped doing the right thing” when the pandemic hit, said Morris. Support for other local business is a cornerstone of its philosophy. The company continues to donate fish and seafood to those in need. The owners have a very strong social conscious and sense of responsibility to their community; while growing their business and moving it for ward, they will continue to give back.
This article originally appeared in the Dec. 3 – 9, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
