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Born from a Love of Food

"We delight in serving you the best food experience for you and your family from the Blount family team!"

- Todd Blount, President & CEO

Born from a Love of Food

"We delight in serving you the best food experience for you and your family from the Blount family team!"

- Todd Blount, President & CEO

Bringing our love of food to others for five generations!

Blount Fine Foods is a family-owned and operated manufacturer, marketer and developer of fresh prepared foods. Blount’s products include restaurant-quality, single-serve grab-n-go fresh soups and entrées at retail, as well as entrées, side dishes, and a full line of mac & cheese for retail hot bars and restaurants. Many Blount products are also available with specialty certifications that include organic, gluten-free, and low sodium, among others. While best known for soup, the company produces hundreds of premium prepared food products for restaurants, institutions, retailers and club stores in all 50 states.
Blount Purpose
Blount People

1880 Founding the Family Food Business

The third generation of a New England seafaring family, 18-year-old Eddie B. Blount launched an oyster harvesting and sales business in West Barrington, Rhode Island.

He had help from his new father-in-law, long-time oysterman Jonas Buckingham, and formed a partnership with his uncle Reuben Hunt. From that time forward family ties have strengthened the Blount business.

1903 Putting Down Roots on the Warren Waterfront

Putting Down Roots on the Warren Waterfront

1903 Putting Down Roots on the Warren Waterfront

Putting Down Roots on the Warren Waterfront

1923 The Generations Change, the Name Remains

The Generations Change, the Name Remains

1931 Whitecap, The First Brand

Late in the year E.B. Blount’s Sons trademarked its first brand, Whitecap Oysters. The two-masted schooner became emblematic of quality Narragansett oysters and Blount seafood later adopted the Whitecap brand along with several others.

1931 Whitecap, The First Brand

Late in the year E.B. Blount’s Sons trademarked its first brand, Whitecap Oysters. The two-masted schooner became emblematic of quality Narragansett oysters and Blount seafood later adopted the Whitecap brand along with several others.

1938 Environmental Crisis Creates an Opportunity

In September, the sixth most damaging hurricane in US history drove straight through New England with winds of up to 140 miles per hour. The storm scoured the floor of Narragansett Bay, devastating oyster and bay clam beds already depleted by pollution.

This setback for the oyster business created an opportunity for a person willing to try something new.

1943 Nelson Blount Builds on a Big Idea

Determined to make his own start in the family business, Byron’s nephew F. Nelson Blount bought the Warren-based Narragansett Oyster Company.

Nelson was searching for an alternative to the struggling oyster and bay clam business when he learned that rich beds of ocean quahogs lay off the coast. Consumers were not used to the pungent black clams, but Nelson believed he could build a market for them and he did.

As the Narragansett recovered, Blount marketed more popular bay clams, but ocean quahogs remained a staple of Blount’s seafood offerings.

1943 Nelson Blount Builds on a Big Idea

Determined to make his own start in the family business, Byron’s nephew F. Nelson Blount bought the Warren-based Narragansett Oyster Company.

Nelson was searching for an alternative to the struggling oyster and bay clam business when he learned that rich beds of ocean quahogs lay off the coast. Consumers were not used to the pungent black clams, but Nelson believed he could build a market for them and he did.

As the Narragansett recovered, Blount marketed more popular bay clams, but ocean quahogs remained a staple of Blount’s seafood offerings.

1947 Blount Seafood Begins Pioneering

Nelson Blount merged Narragansett Oyster, E. B. Blount’s Sons, and the Plymouth Packing Company to create the Blount Seafood Corporation.

Working with his uncle Byron Blount in the refitted and repainted Narragansett Oyster facility, Nelson Blount developed new equipment for processing clams and concentrating broth.

1947 Becoming “part of the Campbell Family”

Blount becomes the clam supplier to Campbell’s Soup and invites white-coated inspectors to Warren, starting a long tradition of being a valuable partner while maintaining its own product identity.

Nelson Blount considered his company to be “part of the Campbell’s family” and it remained so for another Blount Seafood stuck with Campbell’s for more than a half century.

1947 Becoming “part of the Campbell Family”

Blount becomes the clam supplier to Campbell’s Soup and invites white-coated inspectors to Warren, starting a long tradition of being a valuable partner while maintaining its own product identity.

Nelson Blount considered his company to be “part of the Campbell’s family” and it remained so for another Blount Seafood stuck with Campbell’s for more than a half century.

1966 Managing Supply Problems with Old Products

Blount had long since switched most of its supply over to clams harvested by hand “tongers” from Narragansett Bay. The company was hard-hit therefore, as the bay clam supply began to give out during the 1960s due to pollution and overharvesting. Blount Seafood returned to its original source of supply, ocean quahogs.

1973 New Leadership, New Line

F. Nelson Blount’s son Ted took over a company still in crisis over the diminishing clam supply. An engineer by training, Ted shut down the plant and refitted it for the processing of sea clams, a sweet variety better suited to general American tastes than ocean quahogs.

Ted Blount’s decisive move allowed Blount to win the soup company’s “Select Supplier” designation, and to share its clams with the nation as a staple in Campbell’s best-selling Chunky Soup.

1973 New Leadership, New Line

F. Nelson Blount’s son Ted took over a company still in crisis over the diminishing clam supply. An engineer by training, Ted shut down the plant and refitted it for the processing of sea clams, a sweet variety better suited to general American tastes than ocean quahogs.

Ted Blount’s decisive move allowed Blount to win the soup company’s “Select Supplier” designation, and to share its clams with the nation as a staple in Campbell’s best-selling Chunky Soup.

1980 Diversification Begins with Seafood for Consumers

Supply problems and declining prices indicated that there was trouble in the clam supply business. Just as important, Blount management hoped to provide consumers with its own line of value-added foods.

Blount began to diversify into consumer products such as conch, chowder, and stuffed clams for sale under the Point Judith brand.

1985 Blount behind the label: First “Co-Pack” Arrangement

Blount might have supplied the clams behind the Campbell’s label, but its early experience producing consumer products convinced the company—and prospective customers—that it could provide the label as well.

Only five years after diversifying, therefore, Blount entered into its first contract packaging, or “co-pack,” arrangement, producing and packaging seafood soup for retail sale by the Bayshore Chowder Company.

In time, co-packing for some of America’s biggest names propelled Blount to the top of the fresh soup business.

1985 Blount behind the label: First “Co-Pack” Arrangement

Blount might have supplied the clams behind the Campbell’s label, but its early experience producing consumer products convinced the company—and prospective customers—that it could provide the label as well.

Only five years after diversifying, therefore, Blount entered into its first contract packaging, or “co-pack,” arrangement, producing and packaging seafood soup for retail sale by the Bayshore Chowder Company.

In time, co-packing for some of America’s biggest names propelled Blount to the top of the fresh soup business.

1991 Acquiring Experience and Learning to Sell to Consumers

Blount’s willingness to produce for other labels was always accompanied by a desire to bring its own products to store shelves.

Realizing that the company needed outside help to further its diversification efforts and sell to consumers, Ted Blount hired veteran businessman John Durkin to establish the company’s first concerted sales and marketing effort.

1994 Starting out Small, Todd Blount “Corners” the Soup Business

Ted’s son Todd Blount had started out in big business but “wanted to be part of something smaller.” He got his wish.

Todd was convinced that the company could diversify beyond seafood products, and his father was willing to let him try—so long as he did not disrupt the already cramped Warren production floor. So Todd set up Blount’s first non-seafood soup production line in a corner of the plant—a small start to a big thing.

1994 Starting out Small, Todd Blount “Corners” the Soup Business

Ted’s son Todd Blount had started out in big business but “wanted to be part of something smaller.” He got his wish.

Todd was convinced that the company could diversify beyond seafood products, and his father was willing to let him try—so long as he did not disrupt the already cramped Warren production floor. So Todd set up Blount’s first non-seafood soup production line in a corner of the plant—a small start to a big thing.

1997 HACCP, Setting the Standard for Food Safety

Clam processing was an exacting enterprise, with many steps along the way necessary to ensure that the product was clear of seafloor debris and sand. In fact, some of Ted Blount’s innovations had been in cleaning clams.

In 1996 the Food and Drug Administration required seafood producers adopt the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system for safety. Blount was among the first to comply and the FDA cited the company’s efforts, led by Ted’s brother Steve Blount, as a model for the industry.

2000 New Leadership and a Stronger Focus of Soup

By the time Todd Blount became president of Blount Seafood in 2000, his experiments in soup-making and sales were succeeding.

Determined to focus the company’s efforts on the most promising products, Todd sold the popular but unprofitable stuffed clam line. Blount also acquired Great Soups Incorporated, gaining the expertise and equipment required to begin producing beef and chicken soups.

2000 New Leadership and a Stronger Focus of Soup

By the time Todd Blount became president of Blount Seafood in 2000, his experiments in soup-making and sales were succeeding.

Determined to focus the company’s efforts on the most promising products, Todd sold the popular but unprofitable stuffed clam line. Blount also acquired Great Soups Incorporated, gaining the expertise and equipment required to begin producing beef and chicken soups.

2001 “Hot-to-Go” in the Grocery

During the 1990s supermarkets were increasingly becoming takeouts by installing salad bars and self-service soup counters. Someone had to supply the soup, and Blount stepped in, providing “hot-to-go” soups for the New England supermarket chain customer, Shaw’s.
This was the first step into a line of business that would continually expand and fuel company growth.

2003 The Test Kitchen Provides Better Recipes for Customers and Consumers

As more and more restaurant, hot to go, and supermarket shelf customers turned to the company to replicate and scale up their time-tested recipes, opening of the Blount Test Kitchen was an important next step.

Led by chef Jeff Wirtz, the test kitchen quickly mastered the art of scaling up customers’ existing recipes and then turned to developing its own varieties to appeal to consumers.

2003 The Test Kitchen Provides Better Recipes for Customers and Consumers

As more and more restaurant, hot to go, and supermarket shelf customers turned to the company to replicate and scale up their time-tested recipes, opening of the Blount Test Kitchen was an important next step.

Led by chef Jeff Wirtz, the test kitchen quickly mastered the art of scaling up customers’ existing recipes and then turned to developing its own varieties to appeal to consumers.

2004 The Move to Massachusetts

By the turn of the century Blount was bursting the walls of its plant on the old Warren waterfront and dividing employees and operations between two additional locations as well. In 2004, therefore, Blount consolidated at a new facility in Fall River Massachusetts. Seafood remained in Warren, so at last there was ample room for the burgeoning soup operations—for the time being.

2007 Old Mission, New Name. Endless Possibilities

By 2007, nothing had changed about Blount’s historic mission to provide high quality food to customers and consumers alike. Everything had changed however, about the product line, and although soup was the growth business at the time, Todd Blount was willing to consider other avenues as well.

Therefore, the company acknowledged that its future lay beyond seafood with a name change to Blount Fine Foods.

2007 Old Mission, New Name. Endless Possibilities

By 2007, nothing had changed about Blount’s historic mission to provide high quality food to customers and consumers alike. Everything had changed however, about the product line, and although soup was the growth business at the time, Todd Blount was willing to consider other avenues as well.

Therefore, the company acknowledged that its future lay beyond seafood with a name change to Blount Fine Foods.

2008 Producing the Panera Brand

After building up the production line in Fall River, Blount Fine Foods had the capacity to take on big things.

In 2008 it took on one of the biggest in the soup business: following a tough competition, Blount earned the right to produce Panera Brand soups for retail sales and committed to becoming an effective and invaluable part of the Panera family.

2011 Selling Seafood

Not wishing to compete with its core customers but determined as always to bring its own brand of fine foods to consumers, Blount thought it saw an opportunity in the national turn toward organics.

In 2014 Blount began producing and marketing its own brands of organic soups only to experience two years of disappointing sales. This hard lesson helped teach Blount that consumers wanted clean comfort food rather than trendy organics.

2011 Selling Seafood

Not wishing to compete with its core customers but determined as always to bring its own brand of fine foods to consumers, Blount thought it saw an opportunity in the national turn toward organics.

In 2014 Blount began producing and marketing its own brands of organic soups only to experience two years of disappointing sales. This hard lesson helped teach Blount that consumers wanted clean comfort food rather than trendy organics.

2016 Reaching Western Customers

By the mid-2010s Blount’s market was already nationwide, with its products on store shelves from coast to coast. But it was a difficult reach for a company based in New England.

Acquisition of a second production facility in McKinney, Texas better enabled Blount to reach its customers and consumers east of the Mississippi. It also ensured that some Southwest spices would make it into the soup.

2018 Growing in Fall River

When Blount first moved to Fall River, Massachusetts, it seemed like there was plenty of room to work—but no one expected Blount’s outsized success.

After expanding the first Fall River facility two times, the company finally had to build an entirely new plant and office building nearby.

2018 Growing in Fall River

When Blount first moved to Fall River, Massachusetts, it seemed like there was plenty of room to work—but no one expected Blount’s outsized success.

After expanding the first Fall River facility two times, the company finally had to build an entirely new plant and office building nearby.

2020 Blount’s Family Kitchen Brings Clean Comfort Food to the Refrigerated Section

The experiences with organics had suggested that exotic organics did not have staying power. Focus groups confirmed that consumers were much more often in the market for clean comfort food—that was something Blount could provide.

The company developed a line of entrees under a new family-oriented brand—Blount’s Family Kitchen—and following a careful rollout in the Northeast in 2019, in 2020 Blount’s Family Kitchen hit grocery refrigerated sections nationwide.

For a more detailed history, read our book!