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Inside Boston Lobster Company

By Jeanine Stewart | Published March 21, 2014

Neil Zarella may never have envisioned himself behind a desk when he started his career as a lobster fisherman in 1978, but today, he runs the $20 to $25 million company out of an office in the heart of BostonNeil Zarella may never have envisioned himself behind a desk when he started his career as a lobster fisherman in 1978, but today, he runs the $20 to $25 million company out of an office off of its secondary processing facility in the heart of Boston.

The company has grown up since Zarella started it in 1986. He founded Cape Sable Lobster Company in 1992, which supplies the lobsters it purchases. Located in Canada, Cape Sable runs Boston Lobster Company's lobster pounding operation, a damm-like area off the shores of Nova Scotia where it can store lobsters for up to six months.

Its distribution is 70% in the United States and 30% abroad, with significant growth in Asia. The company distributes 3 million pounds of lobster per year in gross weight annually, selling to chain retail stores as well as foodservice.