Seafood supplier Fortune International has acquired Jubilee Foods, which does business under the Jubilee Seafood name.

The Alabama-based branded seafood distributor and importer has operating facilities in Bayou La Batre, Birmingham, and Picayune, Mississippi, and serves the Gulf Coast and Birmingham, with a full line of frozen seafood, oysters, and local gourmet products.

This acquisition expands the Fortune Fish & Gourmet brand south, servicing Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida. The Jubilee Seafoods acquisition follows the acquisitions of JDY Gourmet in 2012, Chef Martin Old World Butcher Shop in 2014, Coastal Seafoods in 2016, Lobster Gram in 2017, Morey’s Seafood International of Missouri in April of 2019 and Classic Provisions Inc. in June.

Fortune will continue to operate the business out of the three Jubilee Seafood facilities, the company said. Patrick Kraver will be staying on as the vice president and general manager of Fortune Fish & Gourmet - Gulf States.

“Our growth focus has always been the central United States, and Jubilee is the perfect partner for us to expand south," said Sean O’Scannlain, Fortune’s president and CEO.

"We are eager to build on their strong relationships with the addition of a fresh seafood program and our gourmet portfolio. We will also expand Jubilee’s strong domestic shrimp program within our other divisions," he said.

Jubilee Seafood was founded in 1967 by Charles Walton Kraver, Sr. Kraver, also owns Deep Sea, a shrimp processing facility in Bayou La Batre, and Country Girl, a commercial shrimp boat fishing out of Bayou La Batre.

Deep Sea and Country Girl are not included in the acquisition of Jubilee. Walton will stay on through the transition.

“We are excited about the opportunity to join forces with Fortune,” said Patrick Kraver, co-owner and vice president of Jubilee Seafoods. "We look forward to growing our business providing, high-quality seafood to our customers.”