Bumble Bee Goes to War as It Ships Tuna To American Troops

By LEE ZION

San Diego Business Journal

One San Diego company is making a not-so-high-tech contribution to the war effort: tuna.

Bumble Bee Seafoods is supplying packaged seafood and ready-to-eat products to American military personnel in the Middle East. The packages have been shipped to “temporary field exchanges,” or small stores set up at the front lines.

The available products, including chunk white tuna in three-ounce packages and pouches of ready-to-eat seafood salad, are popular among military personnel since they provide a familiar taste from home, said John Sticker, a senior vice president at Bumble Bee.

Bumble Bee was one of only a handful of products selected for the limited space available at these small stores. They are suitable for delivery to such remote locations because the compact packaging allows for easier shipping and storage.

So far, about 800,000 packages have been shipped in eight truckloads. Each truckload of ready-to-eat products is worth about $120,000, he said.

Bumble Bee is sending shipments as purchase orders come in. Since there is no contract, and the war’s duration is unknown, it’s impossible to determine the total value of the shipments, Sticker said.

The shipments are in addition to a contract the company has with the Army/Air Force Exchange Service. Bumble Bee has long been available at military stores around the globe, he said. Sticker said that as a Navy veteran himself, this was his way of contributing. “There’s a little thing that we’re doing, and we’re looking to do more,” he said.