Honest Catch is a seafood brand and online retailer of high-quality fish and seafood from environmentally friendly fisheries. Startup describes itself as a seafood innovator and is primarily known for its own shrimp farm. Until 2022, the company operated under the name Crusta Nova. Following the change in name, the company now also has a new CEO. Founder and former Managing Director Fabian Riedel is stepping down from operational business and handing over to Sepita Ansari. Riedel, however, will remain actively involved in the company as a co-owner and the new Chairman of the Advisory Board.
Sepita Ansari was most recently Vice President E-Commerce at Food startup Foodspring in Berlin. In 2009, he co-founded the digital marketing agency Catbird Seat and has advised numerous food companies such as Mars, Nestlé, Aldi Süd, and Gourmondo. After the successful exit to the Syzygy Group, he remained on board as CEO and Managing Partner until 2020. Ansari combines his activities as an entrepreneur with teaching at various universities, including the Munich University of Applied Sciences.
“Honest Catch is well prepared for the upcoming scaling”
Regarding his new task, Sepita Ansari:
"Thanks to the outstanding work of Fabian Riedel and the Honest Catch team, the company is well-positioned for the upcoming scaling, with a consistent focus on sustainability and innovation. My goal is to develop Honest Catch into the leading seafood favorite brand in the DACH region through a variety of media initiatives, complemented by strategic brand collaborations. We also plan to revitalize the seafood category by introducing innovative, fresh, and contemporary products. This will be done across multiple channels: our online shop, grocery stores, restaurants, and our own store, to offer a comprehensive omnichannel experience."
Fabian Riedel, founder of Honest Catch and Oceanloop, says:
"Sepita Ansari will contribute his many years of experience as a marketing and e-commerce expert with food expertise to scaling the business and establishing Honest Catch as the seafood love brand in the DACH region. My operational focus will be on the Oceanloop Group in the future, but I will continue to be available with my experience as founder, shareholder, and long-time CEO of Honest Catch. I very much look forward to implementing the vision of both our companies."
Honest Catch is a sister company of the Oceanloop Group. The group was founded in 2023 as part of the growth strategy of Crusta Nova's two business units: online seafood retail and land-based shrimp farming. Both business units were legally separated at the end of 2022. Since then, the online retail business has operated under the name Honest Catch, and the shrimp farming business under the name Oceanloop.
