Wholesaler Santa Monica Seafood Co. opens Thornton facility

THORNTON — Interior buildout work recently wrapped at Santa Monica Seafood Co.’s new seafood processing and distribution facility in Thornton.

The roughly 33,000-square-foot facility, which Santa Monica leased in summer 2023, is now in operation at 1101 E. 126th Ave. It is the company’s first Colorado outpost.

Industry publication SeafoodSource reported that the Thornton processing and distribution hub, which will be led by Santa Monica vice president and general manager Doug Verwolf, cost about $8 million to build out. 

“Food processing facilities typically require a higher, more intense level of scrutiny and approval for health and safety-related concerns,” said Andy Johnson, executive vice president of Krusinski Construction Co., which did the interior work for Santa Monica both in Thornton and at a similar facility the company just opened outside of Baltimore. “Because of that, the project required a detailed and coordinated effort to complete the demolition of the previous space, rebuilding to Santa Monica’s and the local municipal specifications, installing equipment, and securing approval from inspectors.”

SeafoodSource reported that it took Santa Monica site selectors longer than anticipated to find a suitable location for the distribution and processing facility in the Denver metropolitan area.

Headquartered in Southern California since the 1930s, Santa Monica Seafood’s presence is concentrated around the Southwest. But the company is expanding to the north and east. 

“The new facilities are part of a strategic move by Santa Monica Seafood to expand its U.S. presence and allow for deliveries to 40 states in the U.S. within 48 hours of packing,” according to a Krusinski news release. 

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