Bristol Seafood

In 1992, on the working waterfront of Portland, Maine, Darrell Pardy and Ray Swenton established Bristol Seafood. They acquired the assets of a Swedish company, Abba, which had originally built the processing facility a few years prior. In its first year, the new company focused on scallops and haddock, achieving $11 million in sales. The business grew steadily, and by 2013, annual sales were around $40 million. A significant turning point came in early 2014 when David Roux, co-founder of the tech-focused private equity firm Silver Lake Partners, made a personal investment of $5 million. This provided a capital infusion and brought Roux, a Maine native, onto the board, signaling a new phase of growth. Under new leadership, with Peter Handy as President and CEO, the company focused on expanding its product lines and distribution. A major event in the company's journey occurred in the summer of 2025. New York-based Mark Foods, a major seafood importer and processor, announced its acquisition of Bristol Seafood. The deal stipulated that the Bristol brand and its team would be preserved. As part of the acquisition, Peter Handy was set to become the Chief Operating Officer of Mark Foods and join its board, positioning the Maine-based company for continued influence within a larger national entity.