The #1 Source for Cleaned Calamari
Fisherman's Pride® Calamari brand is built on 70 years of dedication to a dream which started five generations ago. In 1928, Andrew Ruggiero left a small fishing village in Italy and came to America where he started his own seafood business. In a few years it became a large and successful retail fish market.
In 1960, his brother Francesco came to America to help him with his growing business. The fish market thrived and expanded into a wholesale market, selling fish to the finest New York restaurants and quality retail outlets.
Francesco's son, Rocco, now the owner and president of Ruggiero Seafood, joined the family business in 1971. He recognized the growing demand for Calamari and the abundant supply in the Atlantic Ocean off the Eastern shore of the United States. This area was not being fished locally even though its Loligo Pealei Calamari was a superior species to the imported variety. Rocco Ruggiero revolutionized the American Calamari industry by designing state-of-the-art equipment that could quickly and inexpensively clean American caught Loligo Pealei, making it competitive with hand prepared imports.
In 1981, Rocco opened the first Ruggiero Seafood processing plant in Newark, New Jersey. This plant was the first of its kind to process fresh, frozen and breaded products from locally caught Calamari. In 1984, the company built a larger state-of-the-art facility.
We distribute our Calamari directly to our customers using our own fleet of refrigerated trucks. This fully integrated operation guarantees consistent quality and availability.
Ruggiero has processed over 300 million lbs. Calamari and the Fisherman's Pride brand ranks as the number one cleaned Calamari in the United States. Ruggiero also is the largest importer of cleaned Calamari, which is processed at our HACCP approved plants wordwide. We carry an average monthly inventory of approximately 5 million pounds year round.
After graduating college in 2003 & 2006 Rocco's sons Francesco & Eric have joined the family business and are continuing the family tradition.
Ruggiero Seafood takes pride in backing our products with an unwavering commitment to quality, variety, value and service.
Ruggiero Seafood, Inc.
117 Avenue L
P.O. Box 5369
Newark, NJ 07105
Toll-free 1-866-CALAMARI