Locals Seafood started with a single item for sale: the humble shrimp. In 2010, college buddies Lin & Ryan began selling Stumpy Point shrimp out of a tailgate cooler on the side of the road in Raleigh, North Carolina. The story starts a bit earlier, though. 

Ryan was living in the Outer Banks a few years before that tailgate cooler. His fishermen friends would bring over freshly caught fish every night. They would feast on pan-seared sheepshead, crispy soft-shell crabs, and boiled shrimp. Having spent much of his life in the NC piedmont, Ryan wondered why folks further inland didn’t have better access to this resource. After moving back inland himself, he called his buddy Lin with an idea. Could they bring this fresh product to Triangle chefs, grocery stores, and consumers? Would these folks want to eat fish like monkfish, mullet, and mackerel?

The answer was a resounding yes.

Locals Seafood is still dedicated to that original idea today. Their crew drives to the coast 3 to 4 times a week to buy super fresh seafood straight from the source. They bring this product back to Raleigh, where they cut, pack, and sell it. They believe everyone in the state should have access to their coastal bounty. After all, it’s your public trust resource.