The Wood family has been fishing in the sleepy Gulf Coast town of Port St. Joe, Florida since 1860. When it comes to seafood, the Woods have done it all. They caught mullet to make oil and hopped on board a shrimp boat soon after diesel engines became available.

Although Wood’s Fisheries is a fifth generation company, they are by no means old in their ways. Wood’s prides itself in being progressive leaders in the industry, and they have a history of embracing new technology, techniques and trends. Change is a word well-known to Edward Wood, president of Wood’s Fisheries, especially coming from a family full of entrepreneurs.

In 2006, Edward and his brother-in-law Mark Godwin decided to start a USA Farm-Raised Shrimp operation on five acres in northwest Florida. The production quickly grew to 25 acres allowing Wood’s to become one of the country’s premier production facilities. The farm is Green-Rated and has expanded to over 150 acres of production to date with more than 220,000 pounds of pond-raised shrimp produced each year.

Water from the 12 ponds is recycled, never escaping into the local eco-system. The company has devised a sustainable system that recaptures nutrients from both the water and shrimp, which has increased the local duck population.

Wood’s Fisheries has a wide variety of shrimp in their line, allowing them to operate year round. From Wild American White Shrimp to Key West Pinks, Brown Shrimp and Royal Reds and the Wood’s Wild Premium Brand.

With a mission to deliver the world’s tastiest shrimp, Wood’s is committed to bringing to their customers a premium product. Woods currently works with 110 offshore freezer boats fishing the entire Gulf, as well.

The company’s goal is to listen to their customers and to help change the perception of domestic shrimp by providing consumers with customer-friendly information about the products they are buying. Edward Wood and his wife will be parents soon to a sixth generation, and they are committed to doing what they feel will be necessary to keep the company, and the industry, going for this next generation and beyond.