Our Story

As a boy, Joel Knox always loved to fish, a passion that continued well into his twenties, molding his career path and eventually leading to his creation of Inland Seafood.

 

After college at Emory, Joel moved to Oregon where he began his career as an outdoors writer & journalist. His love of fishing & learning about the seafood industry bloomed in those days.

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In 1976, Joel moved back to Atlanta, Georgia to pursue a career in publishing. While writing about the Atlanta culinary scene, the lack of fresh seafood in the area's restaurants spawned the idea of bringing a larger variety of fresh seafood from Oregon into the South.

 

Inland Seafood was born on March 2, 1977 when Joel picked up his first air freight shipment from Oregon of Wild Columbia River King Salmon, Pacific Dover Sole, & Rockfish fillets. He loaded these boxes of fish onto a pickup truck at the Eastern Airlines freight terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and headed out to make his first delivery to the Captain’s Roost Restaurant in East Point, Ga to the chef/owner; John P. (JP) O’toole.

 

Next, Joel started to travel & source fish from the rest of United States. This developed into his life’s journey. It was the beginning of what today is Inland Seafood Corporation of North America. All from the love of fishing!

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The last 40+ years have passed in a flash. Inland Seafood has grown to a group of over 500 hardworking and passionate people, who together now own one of the best seafood, specialty meat and artisan food purveyors in the United States.