Season Brand
Season Brand is a century-old US sardine brand, self-described as America's #1 sardine brand, acquired by Moroccan conglomerate Mutandis in 2022, with its core sardine lines sourced from Atlantic waters off Morocco.
At a glance
| Country | Morocco |
|---|---|
| Region | US-headquartered (Lyndhurst, NJ); Moroccan-owned since 2022; exact Moroccan packing site unconfirmed |
| City | Lyndhurst, New Jersey (HQ) |
| Founded | 1921 1921 is the US founding date under Isaac Epstein; the brand was acquired by Moroccan conglomerate Mutandis in June 2022, making it Moroccan-owned but not Moroccan-founded. |
| Company | Consumer brand (US retail brand, Moroccan-owned) |
| Owner | Mutandis (Morocco), acquired June 2022 |
| Price | $$ |
Notable facts
- FY2020 revenue $54.6M; MSC and Friend of the Sea certified.
- Company copy states fish is 'wild caught in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Morocco' but stops short of confirming the can itself is physically packed in Morocco — treat 'Moroccan-sourced' as confirmed and 'Moroccan-packed' as unconfirmed.
- The product range spans three families: Skinless & Boneless Sardines, Bone-In Sardines, and Brisling Sardines (a smaller sprat-type product more traditionally associated with Norwegian/Baltic sourcing) — the Morocco-sourcing claim on Season's own site is specific to its main sardine lines and should not be assumed to cover the Brisling line without further confirmation.
- 2025 press materials describe Season as marketing itself as 'the #1 brand of sardines in the United States,' distributed through Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, and Amazon, with a refreshed logo/mascot ('Sea Maiden, Mira') unveiled at the Winter Fancy Food Show, January 2025.
- No dedicated downloadable press kit page found on seasonproducts.com; media inquiries are directed to PR agency Trent & Company (contact: Nancy Trent / Pamela Wadler, 212-966-0024), per a 2025 press release.
Origin
Season is a century-old American sardine brand — founded in 1921 and long marketed as "America's #1 sardine brand" — that became Moroccan-owned in June 2022, when it was acquired by the Moroccan conglomerate Mutandis. Its main sardine lines (Skinless & Boneless and Bone-In) are marketed with copy stating the fish is "wild caught in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Morocco," which confirms Moroccan sourcing for those lines, though the company stops short of stating outright that the cans themselves are physically packed in Morocco — a distinction worth preserving rather than collapsing into a single claim.
Season also sells a separate Brisling Sardines line — small sprats, a different product tradition than true sardines, more commonly associated with Norwegian or Baltic sourcing — and nothing found in this research confirms that line follows the same Moroccan-sourcing claim as the main range. The brand is distributed at major US retailers (Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, Amazon) and refreshed its packaging and mascot at the January 2025 Winter Fancy Food Show; there's no self-serve press kit, but media inquiries go through the PR firm Trent & Company.
Products
Skinless & Boneless Sardines in Pure Olive Oil
Flagship skinless & boneless line.
Where to buySkinless & Boneless Sardines in Water, No Salt Added
No-salt-added water-packed variant.
Where to buySkinless & Boneless Sardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil
EVOO upgrade of the skinless & boneless line.
Where to buySkinless & Boneless Sardines in Tomato Sauce
Tomato-sauce variant of the skinless & boneless line.
Where to buyBone-In Sardines in Pure Olive Oil
Traditional bone-in preparation.
Where to buyBone-In Sardines, Lightly Smoked, in Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Lightly smoked bone-in variant.
Where to buyBrisling Sardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Two Layers
Small sprat-type Brisling line; sourcing region for this specific line is not confirmed as Morocco (Brisling/sprats are more traditionally Norwegian/Baltic-sourced).
Where to buyBrisling Sardines, Lightly Smoked Sprats, in Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Smoked sprat variant; sourcing not confirmed as Morocco.
Where to buy