How Fishwife Made Tinned Fish Cool (And Built a $6M Business)

Hey, it's Arik.

Welcome back to Brand of the Month. This is where I break down brands that are doing something right (really right) and extract the lessons that actually matter for the rest of us.

This month, I want to talk about a brand that took one of the most unsexy product categories imaginable (tinned fish) and turned it into a $6 million lifestyle brand that has Gen Z posting #tinnedfishdatenight on TikTok.

I'm talking about Fishwife.

If you haven't heard of them, they're the LA-based brand that's made canned fish cool, Instagram-worthy, and somehow aspirational. They've grown from $0 to $6 million in revenue in just four years, expanded to 1,800+ retail locations including Whole Foods, and created a cultural movement around what used to be considered emergency pantry food.

Today, I'm breaking down exactly how they did it, what makes them special, and the lessons every brand can learn from their approach.


The Origin Story: From Quarantine Idea to Cultural Movement
Fishwife was founded in December 2020 by Becca Millstein and Caroline Goldfarb, but the idea started during COVID quarantine in April 2020. Millstein had first discovered high-quality tinned fish during a semester abroad in southern Spain, where she encountered a vibrant culinary culture around conservas; premium tinned seafood that was treated as a delicacy.

During lockdown, she and Goldfarb started incorporating tinned fish into their "girl dinners" at home. They loved the health benefits, the sustainability aspect, the convenience, and how it aligned with food trends they were seeing from influencers like Anthony Bourdain and Alison Roman.

The business idea crystallized during a hike together. They validated it with food entrepreneur friends and committed to the idea the next day. And their timing was brilliant. They launched right when people were stuck at home, cooking more, and looking for convenient, healthy options that felt special.


What Makes Fishwife Different
1. They Completely Reimagined the Visual Identity
Fishwife threw the playbook of blue and white packaging and boring fonts out the window. They hired illustrator Danny Miller to create vibrant, artistic packaging that looks like collectible art, with each tin featuring bold colors, beautiful illustrations, and designs that people actually want to display in their kitchens.

2. Sustainability and Transparency as Core Values
Fishwife sources from responsible fisheries, small-boat fisherfolk, aquaculture farms, and microcanneries. They emphasize knowing exactly where their fish comes from and how it's caught.

3. Cultural Positioning Over Product Features
Fishwife positioned themselves as part of a lifestyle. They made tinned fish part of the "girl dinner" trend, date night culture, and the broader movement toward convenient, healthy eating. They created hashtags like #tinnedfish (which has over 100 million views) and #tinnedfishdatenight. They made their product social media-worthy and gave people a reason to share it.


The Growth Strategy That Actually Worked
For the first two years, Fishwife spent $0 on paid advertising. Zero. Their entire growth strategy was built on organic social media, and it worked because they understood that authenticity beats reach.

Becca Millstein handled all social media personally, creating genuine engagement with their community. They built their Instagram to 70k followers and TikTok to 18.8k followers through consistent, authentic content.

They also created viral merchandise like "Hot girls eat tinned fish" tees and totes that turned their customers into walking billboards.

And, instead of paying big influencers, they strategically seeded products to micro-influencers and "dream influencers" like Alison Roman and Molly Baz. This approach gave them credibility and authentic endorsements that paid advertising could never achieve.


The Numbers That Matter
Let's talk about the growth trajectory:
2021: $750,000 revenue
2022: $2.6 million revenue
2023: ~$6 million revenue (180% year-over-year growth)
Retail presence: 1,800+ locations including Whole Foods nationwide

They achieved 180% growth while the conventional tinned fish category only grew 1%.

The Shark Tank Boost
In 2023, Becca Millstein appeared on Shark Tank, securing a deal with Lori Greiner and Candace Nelson for $350,000 in exchange for 6% equity plus 2% advisory shares. This valued the company at approximately $5.83 million and provided the capital to fund their Whole Foods partnership.

What You Can Learn From Fishwife

1. Category Transformation Over Product Innovation
Fishwife didn't invent better tinned fish, they reimagined what tinned fish could represent. They took a commodity product and turned it into a lifestyle choice.

Actionable takeaway: Look at your product category. How can you reframe what it means to your customers? What cultural movements or trends can you align with?

2. Values-Driven Positioning
Their commitment to sustainability and transparency is fundamental to their brand identity. They source from responsible fisheries and small-boat fisherfolk, emphasizing knowing exactly where their fish comes from.

In working with brands across industries, I've seen that authentic values-driven positioning resonates especially well with younger consumers who can spot performative marketing immediately.

Actionable takeaway: Identify the values that are truly core to your operation and make them non-negotiable. Don't just talk about them, build your entire business around them.

3. Visual Identity as Competitive Advantage
Fishwife's artistic tins immediately communicate quality and intentionality. Their packaging isn't just functional, it's part of the product experience.

Actionable takeaway: Audit your packaging and visual identity. Does it communicate the values and quality you want to represent? Would customers want to display it or share it on social media?

4. Organic Growth Through Authentic Engagement
Fishwife proved that you don't need massive ad budgets to build a successful brand. Their organic social media strategy worked because it felt genuine and community-focused.

Actionable takeaway: Before investing in paid advertising, master organic engagement. Build real relationships with your audience. Create content that people actually want to share.

5. Cultural Timing and Trend Alignment
Fishwife launched right when several trends converged: the "girl dinner" movement, increased focus on sustainability, and the rise of convenient healthy eating.

Actionable takeaway: Study the cultural and social trends affecting your target audience. How can you position your brand to align with where culture is heading, not where it's been?

6. Community Over Customer Acquisition
Fishwife doesn't have customers, they have a community of tinned fish enthusiasts. They've created a shared identity around their product that goes beyond the transaction.

This community approach creates higher lifetime value, better retention, and organic word-of-mouth growth.

Actionable takeaway: How can you turn your customer base into a community? What shared values or experiences can you rally around?


The Bottom Line
Fishwife's story proves that the biggest opportunities often exist in the most overlooked categories. They took something that everyone thought was boring and made it exciting.

Whether you're selling tinned fish or any other product, the lessons are clear: focus on cultural positioning over product features, invest in authentic community building, and never underestimate the power of beautiful, intentional design.


Your Turn
I want to hear from you. What did you find most valuable about Fishwife's approach? Which of their strategies could you apply to your own brand?

And here's where I need your help: What brand should we feature for next month's Brand of the Month?

Reply to this email and tell me:
1. What insight from Fishwife's story resonated most with you
2. Which brand you think we should deep dive into next month

I read every reply, and your suggestions directly influence what we cover. Let's make this series as valuable as possible for everyone.

See you next Thursday,
Arik