ABOUT H & N GROUP

Nobody delivers quality seafood from shore to door like the H & N Group.

We’re an independent, family, owned company founded on the ideals of integrity, service and hard work.

Since 1981 we’ve been a leader in fresh and frozen seafood. We are an advocate for safety, innovation and sustainability within the seafood industry. We pride ourselves on our full transparency with our customers and rigorous quality standards across our supply chain.

At H & N, we only source from the best farms and fisheries. With supply partnerships across the globe, our commitment to quality, dependability and customer service shows in everything we do.

H & N Group – One family dedicated to serving every family’s seafood needs.

OUR MISSION AND VALUES

H & N Group’s core beliefs of Family, Integrity, Service and Hard Work (F.I.S.H.) are at the center of everything we do. We’re committed to providing the highest quality seafood to our customers with an eye toward quality control, strict regulations, responsible production and sustainability.

F

Family

We strive to treat our customers, vendors, and employees like family.

I

Integrity

We up-hold the highest standard of ethical conduct, honesty, and integrity.

S

Service

We are diligent in our desire to provide our customers the best service in the business.

H

Hard Work

We trust that we will achieve our goals and mission through hard work.

OUR STORY

H & N Group could have easily capsized from the start if it hadn’t been for the innovation and optimism of one man. Originally founded as H & N Fish Co. by Hua Ngo in 1981, H & N Group started quite humbly with a man and his fishing boat.

Mr. Ngo intended to be a commercial fisherman until an unfortunate series of events jeopardized his livelihood, leaving him with a fishing boat that was no longer seaworthy. In true entrepreneurial fashion, Mr. Ngo turned the obstacle into an opportunity by purchasing a van and forging relationships with independent fishermen in San Francisco to sell and distribute their catches of the day. Hauling vanloads of fresh fish and seafood, Mr. Ngo began to establish similar relationships with the small business owners of local markets and restaurants.

Throughout the 1980s and into the 90s the company grew organically extending distribution throughout the West Coast. With growth came expansion, in 2002 H & N Group opened a facility in Los Angeles, relocating the corporate headquarters to this location in 2005. With the desire to further develop the company, Mr. Ngo made several acquisitions positioning H & N Group well across the USA. With a team of dedicated employees on the East and West Coast, H & N Group has grown into one of the leading seafood providers in the world. H & N Group is recognized by Seafood Source on their Top North American Seafood Suppliers list.

The H & N Team is committed to sustainability, food safety and quality, sourcing our products from certified farms and fisheries. We are committed to meet the growing demands of our customers without sacrificing our trust and dependability. We back our commitments with investments in global logistics, technology and our support of seafood industry trade organizations worldwide.

Through its growth and success, H & N Group has always remained dedicated to its core beliefs and family values. Mr. Ngo, his daughter Christine and son Bobby are all actively involved in the day-to-day operations, this is a path the company intends to continue for many generations to come. With the “H” for Hua’s first name, the “N” for his wife Nga’s first name, H & N has truly been a family company since the beginning.

H & N Fish Co. Distribution center San Francisco

H & N TIMELINE

Incorporated in

San Francisco, CA

1981
1993

Acquired Joe Pucci and Son’s

Oakland, CA

Opened 78,000 sq. ft. facility

Los Angeles, CA

2002
2005

Acquired Expack Seafood

Woodbridge, NJ

Relocated Corporate Headquarters to

Los Angeles, CA

2005
2007

Acquired Rymer

Chicago, IL

Acquired Berdex

San Francisco, CA

2009
2017

Ranked #15 of Top North American Seafood Suppliers

Acquired Network Commodities

Parsippany, NJ

2018
previous arrow

Incorporated in

San Francisco, CA

1981
1993

Acquired Joe Pucci and Son’s

Oakland, CA

Opened 78,000 sq. ft. facility

Los Angeles, CA

2002
2005

Acquired Expack Seafood

Woodbridge, NJ

Relocated Corporate Headquarters to

Los Angeles, CA

2005
2007

Acquired Rymer

Chicago, IL

Acquired Berdex

San Francisco, CA

2009
2017

Ranked #15 of Top North American Seafood Suppliers

Acquired Network Commodities

Parsippany, NJ

2018
next arrow

MR. NGO’S STORY

Our company’s story is the story of a humble and hardworking man who refused to give up in the face of adversity. It’s a tale of the American Dream come to fruition because of one man’s determination, commitment to hard work and commitment to his family.

Hua Ngo was born in the small town of Nam Cam at the southernmost tip of Vietnam. He took his first job at the age of 13 to support his mother and six siblings after his father passed away unexpectedly. Journeying through the bustling streets of Saigon as a fish delivery driver’s assistant, young Mr. Ngo had no idea that the seafood business he was learning would play such an important role in his life.

During the Vietnam War, as part of Hua’s responsibility to the local army, he continued delivering seafood. On April 30th 1975 his world was forever changed with the Fall of Saigon. With the safety and future of his family his top concern, Mr. Ngo knew he had to start planning to depart Vietnam.

Utilizing his experience in seafood, Mr. Ngo bought a 30-foot fishing boat in order to catch and sell fresh fish to the people of Saigon. All the while he was secretly rationing the fuel and supplies needed to prepare for his family’s escape.

Nam Cam Vietnam Fishing Boats

MR. NGO’S STORY (2/3)

In 1979, Mr. Ngo had saved enough money to purchase safe passage for he and his family (wife Nga, daughter Christine and son, Bobby Ngo). They boarded a 45-foot fishing boat carrying around 90 asylum seekers bound for the South Seas.

After days on the water, Mr. Ngo, his family and the other passengers landed in Malaysia. They spent months in a refugee tent city learning English and applying for asylum to nearly a dozen countries. Eventually they were granted access and safe passage to America.

Upon their arrival in San Francisco, opportunity presented itself to Mr. Ngo in a job shoveling asbestos and later driving a forklift for a pavement company. He accepted both positions, gratefully and stoically. Through a friend he learned of the money-making opportunities in the local fishing industry. With his many years of experience as a fisherman, it only made sense that his mission would be to buy a fishing boat.

Due to his determination, his family support and many 17-hour work days, there was enough money saved to purchase the boat. Docking the boat at Monterey Bay, Hua started to meet the other fisherman in the area. After a few fishing trips, catastrophe struck when the boat was severely damaged, nearly sunk and deemed irreversibly unseaworthy all in a single afternoon.

MR. NGO’S STORY (3/3)

At this point, many people might have decided just to give up – on starting a business, on the seafood business, and even on the American Dream. But not Mr. Ngo. He and his family had already been through so much in their lives, nothing was going to stop him from becoming successful.

Evaluating the situation, Mr. Ngo saw yet another opportunity — he would start distributing seafood. He took the last of the family’s savings, bought a used delivery van and set out to forge relationships with as many of the local fishermen in the area as he could in order to sell and distribute their daily catches throughout the markets and restaurants of Chinatown and beyond.

Soon Mr. Ngo was delivering so many fish that he had to rent U-Haul trucks just to carry them down the California coast. Hua used his time wisely. He rented the trucks in the San Francisco Bay Area, made his deliveries all the way down to Los Angeles and would take the bus home so he could sleep. All the while meeting and gaining new customers as he was on the road, hours upon hours up and down the California freeways. Once all the U-Haul trucks were in Los Angeles, Hua realized it was time to buy his first distribution truck.

In 1981, the dream came true. H & N Fish Co. was founded. The “H” is for Hua’s first name, the “N” for his wife Nga’s. H & N has been a family company since the beginning, and it remains one to this day.

The rest is history because of one hard working man and his determination to never give up…no matter what adversity he faced in his pursuit of the American Dream.

GET TO KNOW OUR TEAM

Click images for more information

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Hua Ngo

President

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Christine Ngo

Executive Vice President

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Bobby Ngo

Vice President Fresh Division

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Claude Schoeffer

President of Sales

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Minh Dat Pham

Vice President of Sales

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Nancy Yang

Vice President Risk & Supply Chain

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Dat Trieu

Vice President