Hot Smoked Salmon – Made in Alaska
Ketchikan Sam’s is a family-owned seafood manufacturing and retail business in Ketchikan, Alaska. Founded by Samuel Pflaum, the company specializes in premium hot smoked salmon and smoked black cod made using a generations-old family recipe.
Sam’s journey with the Alaska Small Business Development Center (SBDC) began in 2022, when he attended a workshop to learn more about starting a business. In 2023, he began working with his advisor, Ruth Wolfe, to explore what it would take to turn his family recipe into a commercial operation.
After gaining knowledge and preparing his concept, Ketchikan Sam’s launched in March 2024. The business has since grown into a local seafood processing plant with a freezer facility and multiple retail stands serving both visitors and local residents. Unlike many regional producers who focus on canned smoked salmon, Ketchikan Sam’s produces frozen, ready-to-eat hot smoked salmon. The company sells directly to consumers, restaurants, and other businesses, with plans to expand into national and international markets.
Turning a family recipe into a licensed seafood manufacturing business required more than a great product. Sam needed a business plan, financial projections, permitting guidance, and funding to build the facility, secure cold storage, and support wholesale and retail operations.
Sam once again worked with the Alaska Small Business Development Center and Business Advisor Ruth Wolfe. Together, they developed a detailed business plan and financial projections and navigated licensing and startup requirements. With this support, Sam secured SBA financing to launch and scale the company.
“The guidance from the Alaska SBDC and SBA financing helped us take our family recipe and turn it into a business,” said Sam Pflaum. “They gave us the tools and confidence to scale up while staying true to who we are.”
Today, Ketchikan Sam’s partners with Alaska Fish House and Arctic Bar and continues to grow wholesale relationships with restaurants and businesses in Alaska and across the country. The company also operates retail stands at Herring Cove and downtown Ketchikan, serving both tourists and local customers.
Ketchikan Sam’s offers flat-rate direct-to-consumer shipping throughout the United States. Looking ahead, the company plans to increase production, expand restaurant and business distribution, and pursue export opportunities in international markets.
Ketchikan Sam’s shows how Alaska manufacturing can grow with the right support. With technical assistance from the Alaska SBDC and SBA financing, Samuel Pflaum turned a family tradition into a scalable seafood processing business.
Stop by Ketchikan Sam’s at 8256 South Tongass Highway, Ketchikan, Alaska, and follow them on Facebook or on their website.
