DENVER, CO -- Tocabe Indigenous Marketplace (Tocabe) and Red Lake, Inc. are proud to announce the acquisition of a 50% share in Arctic Circle Wild Seafood, based in the regional Inupiat Eskimo Village of Kotzebue, Alaska. Both Tocabe and Red Lake, Inc. acquired 25%, making Arctic Circle wholly shared by three Native-owned companies. 

“This acquisition is a step forward in growing and supporting the supply chain for Native producers, but also to actively invest in the development of Native producers,” said Tocabe Co-Founder and member of the Osage Nation Ben Jacobs. 

“Red Lake, Inc. is thrilled to expand our portfolio of high quality, natural food production companies by welcoming Arctic Circle Wild Seafood into our family. With over 100 years of commercial food production and seafood specific experience in our history we are incredibly excited to work with Arctic Circle Wild Seafood and Tocabe to bring high quality, Indigenous sourced wild Alaskan salmon to a bigger audience,” said Jaycob Robinson, Chief Development Officer of Red Lake, Inc.

“We’re pleased both Red Lake and Tocabe are now owners within Arctic Circle Wild Seafood’s family of fishers and quality customers and are excited about the new markets and growth opportunities they’ll help create,” said Arctic Circle Wild Seafood co-founders Mike and Lydia Scott. They added, “Our co-founders Betty Nelson and Nate Kotch were wonderful partners that will be missed, but they’ll continue to help market the company into the future and we’re looking forward to beginning work with Tocabe and Red Lake.”

Arctic Circle Wild Seafood (ACWS) owned by husband-and-wife team, Michael and Lydia Scott, and based in the regional trading village of Kotzebue, Alaska. ACWS sources sustainably harvested wild seafood from 90% of Native fishermen specializing in salmon, sheefish, cod, and more. Additionally, the company owns and operates on the furthest northern fishing point of Alaska. 

Tocabe has been a longtime partner with Red Lake, Inc.’s enterprise, Red Lake Nation Foods and both groups are dedicated to producing specialty curated products representing their cultural heritage. Red Lake, Inc. is already involved in fish purchasing, processing, and distribution by sourcing walleye from Upper and Lower Red Lake through the Red Lake Nation Fishery while additionally supplying Tocabe’s marketplace with products like wild rice and syrup. 

Launching this partnership is the beginning of Tocabe’s long-term plan of pushing and supporting Native-owned companies that want and desire growth. This announcement follows the recent commencement of Tocabe’s Direct-to-Tribe Ready Meal Program, which supplies Native peoples with ready-to-eat, healthy and fresh meals during a time of immense food insecurity. By partnering with Indigenous farmers, ranchers, and food producers, Tocabe and Red Lake Inc. are working to build a more sustainable and accessible food system for Native peoples while also providing Native and Indigenous ingredients to all who want to enjoy America's original foods.

“We are incredibly excited to begin working alongside Arctic Circle and to extend our decades long partnership with Red Lake. Bringing together three Native-owned food businesses is an amazing step in supporting the Indigenous foods system and extending the reach of the Native fishermen in northern Alaska,” said Jacobs.

About Tocabe Indigenous Marketplace

Tocabe Indigenous Marketplace (Tocabe) is dedicated to revitalizing Indigenous culture through the power of food. Founded over 14 years ago as Tocabe An American Indian Eatery, the company's mission has always been to remove the barriers and challenges that make Native foods inaccessible. Today, Tocabe Indigenous Marketplace connects customers and their families to Indigenous ingredients and ready-made meals with just the click of a button.

Tocabe is making it easier for customers to enjoy Native and Indigenous foods, no matter where they are located. Tocabe’s commitment to sourcing ingredients from Native farmers, ranchers, producers, and caretakers ensures that each meal is not only delicious but also supports Native and Indigenous communities and helps preserve Indigenous culture.

At Tocabe Indigenous Marketplace, we believe that food is more than just sustenance—it's a powerful way to connect with our heritage, our community, and each other. Join us in our mission to interlink Native and Indigenous food systems with every household to make sure all peoples have access to foods that nourish our communities from seed to soul.

Learn more at shoptocabe.com and access the press kit here.

Red Lake, Inc. is the wholly-owned corporate affiliate of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians.  Overseeing a diverse portfolio of successful companies ranging from agriculture, food production, construction, retail and energy distribution, Red Lake, Inc. has had a continuing passion for producing high quality natural food products sourced from Indigenous peoples. In the areas of agriculture and food production, Red Lake, Inc. owns and operates the Red Lake Nation Fishery, KC’s Best Wild Rice, Red Lake Nation Farms, and Red Lake Nation Foods.

As a Native American-owned company, Red Lake Nation Foods is dedicated to producing unique specialty products representing their cultural heritage for the benefit of over 10,000 members of the Red Lake Nation. The Red Lake Indian Reservation is located in the northern Minnesota counties of Beltrami and Clearwater, approximately 30 miles north of Bemidji. The four districts within the reservation include Red Lake, Redby, Ponemah, and Little Rock.

Red Lake Nation Foods is the only American Indian tribe in the U.S. that grows and harvests its own cultivated wild rice on local lands. From the reservation in Northern Minnesota, Red Lake Nation Foods packs, labels, and ships wild rice to many countries. Their expanded natural foods line includes unique hand-harvested wild fruit jellies, jams and syrups, handcrafted gift items, all-natural batter mixes, popcorn, and herbal tea. Red Lake Nation Foods is pleased to share the bounty of the harvests and other natural food products, all produced by American Indians.

Red Lake Nation Foods is a member of the Intertribal Agriculture Council and bears the “Made/Produced by American Indians” trademark on all products.

About Arctic Circle Wild Seafood (ACWS)

ACWS is a majority woman-owned business with two husband and wife teams as the owner/operators/creators of Arctic Circle Wild Seafood in the regional Inupiat Eskimo village of Kotzebue, Alaska. The Eskimo name for Kotzebue is: Qikiqtagaruk. Kotzebue is the regional trading village serving 11 other surrounding villages from Point Hope on the northwestern coast to Kivalina & Noatak and Kobuk River villages (Noorvik, Kiana & Selawik) Ambler, Shungnak & Kobuk to the east plus Deering and Buckland to the south.

In all, over 7,600 people live among the predominantly Inupiat (means: real or genuine people) Eskimo people many of whom still practice subsistence fishing for year round food supply. The Inupiaq culture believes in respect for others, cooperation, honor the Elders, humility and sharing food resources from the land and sea. These values and harvesting of seafood have been practiced sustainably by the Inupiaq people for over 10,000 years.