Pristine
As icy Antarctic winds blow the world’s cleanest air overhead, below in the cold, clear waters of the Southern Ocean, lies the most premium quality abalone, Pāua, and sea urchin available. The aquatic wilderness that surrounds the remote islands of Tasmania and New Zealand is some of the most fiercely protected in the world. This protection keeps it safe from pollution, aquatic diseases, and over-fishing. Carefully selected and sustainably hand-harvested, our seafood is a wild taste experience like no other.
Our Story
40,000 BCE
Indigenous Tasmanian and New Zealanders have been hand-harvesting wild shellfish for millenia and centuries.
1996
In Australia meanwhile, Ralph’s Tasmanian Seafood, named after co-founder and prominent Tasmanian businessman Ralph Caccavo, first began exporting live abalone to the world in 1996. He pioneered the pathway to becoming one of the world’s largest supplier to the world of live abalone caught in the wild.
2012
In 2012, Pauco was formed merging Kabco, PCL and Abco to become the premier supplier of New Zealand canned Pāua.
2021
Today, True South Seafood is the leading supplier of premium Tasmanian and New Zealand wild caught live abalone and Pāua, as well as the largest exporter of sea urchin roe from Tasmania.
1994
But in more modern times, it was the grandfather of the New Zealand Pāua industry Jack Chung who founded PCL (Pacific Canaries Ltd) in 1994. In doing so he formed the first bridge to the Hong Kong and Chinese markets.
2007
By 2007 in New Zealand, Kabco (Kaikoura Abalone Company) was established by Geoff Pacey and a number of key Pāua divers to become that country’s leading exporter to Asia.
2017
Then in 2017, PauaCo New Zealand purchased Ralph’s Tasmanian Seafood and merged the name to become RTSPauaCo, before rebranding as True South Seafood in 2020.