The Quality Makers: Becca Millstein of Fishwife

Can you walk me through the Fishwife origin story? 

I had lived abroad in the Southern part of Spain in college, in Granada, in a place called Andalucia. First of all, Granada is the only city in Spain that still gives you free tapas with every glass of wine or beer that you order. So that’s how people eat out there – lots of snacking, bites that don’t require cooking. Things like a tin of sardines, some bread and butter, olives – which I found to be very elegant and romantic. And then I traveled to Portugal, which is definitely where I was first exposed to conservas culture. You step into these beautiful conservas stores, seeing all of these gorgeous, colorful tins of fish lining the walls. It’s such a unique sight that most Americans have never experienced before they go to a place like Portugal or Spain. That stuck with me. 

And then I came back to the US to finish college, graduated, and went to work in the music industry and brand marketing for a couple years. And then during the COVID-19 pandemic, I was living with a friend, obviously preparing and consuming all of our meals at home. We found ourselves eating so much tinned fish because it answered the question of getting something convenient, but also high-quality, nutrient-dense, shelf-stable food products that didn’t require us to go to the grocery store frequently. It helped us to keep high-quality, clean protein on hand at all times that was ready to be integrated into a lunch or dinner. So we were eating all of this tinned fish and just had that lightbulb moment: there was this massive $3 billion category that had never experienced any innovation in the US. 

Simultaneously, there was so much excitement about high-quality, sustainable, delicious tinned fish from the food trend-setting community. But any time that was discussed, there were only these beautiful and traditional European brands being referenced. None were speaking to a modern American consumer. And none were focusing on the American market in a way that I thought could be done. And we’ve just been doing it ever since. 

You make it sound so simple, so obvious, but I’m sure it wasn’t! I distinctly remember the beginnings of Fishwife. In my mind, it was synonymous with tinned fish becoming hot and sexy and trendy. Was that serendipitous timing, or did you launch with the intention to remake the image of tinned fish in the US? That’s something that Fishwife, to me, completely transformed.

Totally. I feel like I was following the lead of the people I knew would be the early adopters. It had to be trendy and cool and hip to be buzzy. For the aesthetic inspiration, we were very much looking at the traditional Portuguese and Spanish conservas and that bright, bold, beautiful packaging. It’s so narrative-driven. And then a couple select brands that I found really inspiring from a visual and brand positioning perspective, like Topo Chico, and Cafe Bustelo – they have this traditional and maybe nostalgic feel, but also a very cool aesthetic. At that time, we brought on a lovely gentleman Danny Miller to be our illustrator, and he’s been with us ever since as well, just growing the brand universe. 

I’m curious about those beginnings also from a more practical standpoint. What was it like finding your supply chain? I think Fishwife is also synonymous with quality sourcing and sustainable sourcing. I’d love to hear how you approached that, and the challenges of getting there — which I’m sure were formidable!

That was definitely the hardest part, by far. It was extremely slapdash. Because I obviously had no background in this industry. I was just grasping at straws to figure out how we could build a supply chain, especially during the pandemic. Even very historically resilient supply chains were being challenged. So I really just asked everyone I knew if they happened to know fishermen in the U.S. That sounds so crazy, but it’s true. 

Through that line of logic, I found one fisherman — a sports fisherman, not even a professional fisherman — who knew of a cannery in Oregon. And that was the first cannery we built a deep partnership with. 

We were basically building supply chain in two ways at the time: domestically in North America, and then also our European supply chain. So we had started working with the cannery in Oregon, and then I was just googling and cold calling to find anyone in Europe who was willing to work on this project. And eventually, I found one cannery that we still work with today on our sardines. That was just the beginning of the supply chain journey and it’s grown exponentially over the past four years.

‍Did you face consumer education challenges when you first launched? Or were people just primed for Fishwife fandom?

We were clearly speaking to the most primed customer base. We didn’t run paid ads for the first two years of the business, so we were really just speaking to people who came to us organically. Because of that, consumer education was explicitly not something we had to build, other than educating via recipes and showing people how to use the products. We didn’t have to educate that much about what tinned fish was, or why it costs more than your average can of Bumblebee tuna. I think people understood immediately, because we were telling these sourcing stories very explicitly. And then when you try the product, it tastes so different from what most consumers have tried before. So it definitely wasn’t an uphill battle on that front — we just captured that existing demand.

That makes complete sense, especially seeing Fishwife’s growth from the outside, just how meteoric and immediate it seemed. Can you speak to any challenges you’ve faced along the way?

The biggest challenge was the supply chain, especially at the beginning. It’s so complex, and there’s nobody you can really hire to figure that out. One of our cannery partners in the Pacific Northwest at the time we launched was so impacted by COVID. Their workforce was out just all the time. And we sized out of that cannery very quickly and abruptly. Meanwhile, I’m no specialist at operations, and I was — at the time — trying to be every role at the company. And I really couldn’t do it. It was such an operational challenge that first year. But I’m proud to say we stayed in stock that first year, despite facing some serious supply chain challenges throughout 2021. 

On the subject of staying in stock, I’m constantly amazed at just how often Fishwife is launching a new product or collaboration. The quality is there every time, and there’s nothing you’ve launched that isn’t great (and that isn’t so fun to write about). So essentially I’m asking: how? How is that possible, and is that a challenge in its own right, to keep up with the pace and standards you’ve set?

We have a really lean team, which obviously reduces overall bandwidth. But I think that the size of our team allows us to work super efficiently. There’s no busy work and communication is just so simple, with essentially one person per department (give or take a few now, as we’ve grown). It’s a well-oiled, quick-moving machine. Everyone on the team is very much a founder of the business, and is so devoted to making their mark at this company. So I think everyone is just motivated to produce their individual output, which is essential to that pace. It’s so much fun, and we all love doing it. Those launches are just fueled by passion.

It’s so rare to have a small team from the beginning that’s still there with the growth of the brand — and definitely speaks to the company culture, too. Now that I’ve forced you to tell us all about the challenges of building Fishwife, can you share any meaningful milestones? It’s easy to witness the ubiquity of your tins and what looks like widespread success from the outside, but is there any moment in particular that stands out to you?

Above all, this year, the standout milestone has been our retail expansion. I think we were at 1800 stores at the end of last year. Today, we’re in 3200, which is just incredible to me. And more recently we’ve launched at stores like Wegmans and Sprouts that get us to so many different areas of the country.

A milestone for you, and a blessing for everyone who loves your products and can now find them beyond a specialty grocer! Do you have a favorite collab or product you’ve launched?

We’ve had so many, it’s hard to pick favorites! This year, we did a collab with Keystone Light, which was hilarious. And as we geared up to launch, I kept thinking: this will either be great, or it will bomb. People will either love Fishwife so much more, or they will be very confused. They might even hate it. But thankfully, people loved it. And it definitely kickstarted a period of extreme levels of engagement on social media that has persisted throughout the year. 

Separately, our relationship with Fly By Jing is such a rare thing. Jing and I are best friends, and we did our first collaboration now three and a half years ago — and it was pretty spur-of-the-moment. It’s stood the test of time in a way that we really could never have anticipated, and I’m so happy about how that’s continuing to grow in the world.

That Fly By Jing collab is a favorite in my house. Conversely, is there a dream collaboration or product that hasn’t yet become a reality?

It’s so clear to me. I’m such an outdoors person, and most of the Fishwife team is really into hiking and camping. Tinned fish perfectly fits into that life because it’s shelf-stable, so high in protein, so good for you — all of which make it great for a camping trip. The only issue is the tin and the oil, which make it not so convenient (for backpacking at least). The white whale is a partnership that speaks to outdoor use cases, whether it’s with a partner like REI or Yeti, or just a different form for packing specifically on-the-go or outdoors. 

That’s very exciting — tinned fish is a lifesaver for me on long days out of the house, and mastering the packing (and re-sealing to save for later) is the one puzzle piece I have yet to sort out. Based on your track record, I’m sure you’ll make it happen. On the topic of collaborations, what are some of your favorite brands right now in the food and beverage space? I assume Fly By Jing is one of them!

BM: Oh wow, that’s a challenging question. Most of my closest friends run brands that I’m really obsessed with, so I almost want to avoid naming any of those just in case I accidentally leave someone out. There’s this brand Rooted Fare that makes a black sesame paste that is so good. And I love, love Taché. 

I’m medically addicted to Taché. It’s the best. Last but most certainly not least: what’s your favorite Fishwife product? And your favorite way to enjoy it?

It changes so much, but the tunas we launched in April are currently my favorites by far. They’re so clean. Some of our products — like the Fly By Jing smoked salmon — are so amazing, but they’re intense. I can only have something like that probably two or three times a month. Whereas with the tuna, I can eat that multiple times a week. They’re just so delicious and tender, buttery, and the salt level is perfect. They’re very versatile, but I do often find myself just coming home after along day of work, on a day when I’ve not sufficiently meal prepped, and just eating a can with some crackers, and it’s just perfect. Gets the job done.

Totally. Absolute dinner of champions.

This interview was edited for clarity and brevity. Have a founder you’d like us to interview next? Let us know at hello@thequalityedit.com.