Halifax-based sustainable seafood company Afishionado Fishmongers has made SheEO‘s list of Top 25 Canadian Ventures of 2016. SheEO is a venture capital fund that supports female-led businesses through an investment model of “radical generosity,” which includes access to development programs and a global network of female investors and advisers.

Hana Nelson (BSc’08) founded Afishionado Fishmongers in 2014, combining her passions for sustainable food systems and local entrepreneurship. The company is described as a “community-minded provider of fresh and fresh-frozen seafood dedicated to bringing low-impact fishing traditions back to the plates of consumers.”

Afishionado has grown to supply more than 30 restaurants across Nova Scotia and other restaurants and distributors across the country. The company also sells products to over 150 customers through a weekly ‘Catch of the Week’ subscription share program.

Nelson studied biology and international development studies at Dalhousie. In a recent post on the Afishionado blog, she reflects on the changes her company has made over the past year and the challenges involved with scaling a sustainably-minded business reliant upon small-scale fishers and aquaculturalists. This month, Afishionado began to operate a processing facility of its own to help it to overcome such challenges.

Canadian Top 25 SheEO Venture Afishionado @halifishmonger is an East Coast sustainable seafood company that connects you to local fishers!

— SheEO™ (@sheeo_world) January 19, 2017

Hana’s Year End/Beginning of the year Update! https://t.co/vFoOSzq1eY pic.twitter.com/HoU6RYEDQi

— afishionado (@halifishmonger) January 24, 2017

Read more on sheeo.world and afishionado.ca.