Minneapolis-based Wicked Kitchen acquires plant-based seafood brand Good Catch

Minneapolis-based Wicked Kitchen is putting fish-free seafood on the menu.

The plant-based packaged food brand is acquiring Good Catch, which was founded by the same brothers who started Wicked.

"By folding Good Catch's plant-based seafood offerings into Wicked Kitchen's North American footprint we will have the largest variety of animal-free consumer packaged goods in the industry," Pete Speranza, chief executive of Wicked Kitchen, said in a news release Thursday.

Good Catch makes frozen plant-based fish sticks, fish burgers and crab cakes as well as shelf-stable plant-based tuna. Early on, the brand attracted some well-known investors, including from General Mills' investment arm, 301 Inc.

U.S. retail sales of plant-based foods reached $7.4 billion last year, growing 6.2% from the year before compared with 2% growth for total food sales, according to the Plant Based Food Association and SPINS data.

Speranza was a co-founder of 301 Inc. and former Good Catch board member.

Chefs Chad and Derek Sarno founded Wicked in the U.K. in 2017 and started Good Catch in 2019.

"When creating Wicked Kitchen and Good Catch, our goal for both brands was to develop culinary-driven, industry-changing products that would challenge the way consumers think about their food choices and experiences," Chad Sarno said in a statement.

Wicked came to the U.S. in 2021 and gained national distribution through Kroger stores; the brand has not yet made it to shelves and freezer cases in Minnesota, however. Good Catch can be found at Whole Foods.

Gathered Foods, the parent company of Good Catch, will become a Wicked shareholder and get a seat on the company's board as part of the all-stock transaction. The brands will remain separate.