Why Is Crown Prince Called Crown Prince?

Crown Prince Seafood dates back to 1948, but did you know that from 1948-1985 we went by another name? In fact, the roots of this company not only had another name, but sold something far different from seafood: orange juice!

From Orange Juice to Sardines

When Case Hoffman (our current president’s grandfather) teamed up with two friends to start an orange juice company, they called it “Cold Gold” and met with considerable success.

During that time, the factory’s accountant was a man from Norway. He had a friend back home, Bjarne Ogne, who was a fisherman and wanted to sell his sardines in the United States.

The Cold Gold men agreed, but not long later decided to sell the orange juice business, leaving an excess inventory of quality canned sardines with nowhere to go.

Case Hoffman didn’t want the fish to go to waste simply because the business had changed. So he started a company of his own—Norwegian Fish Importers—and began a one-man operation, making deliveries in the family station wagon until the business began to grow.

Crown Prince Seafood labels through the years

From “Norwegian Fish Importers” to “Crown Prince”

The staple product of the Norwegian Fish Importers line was called the Crown Prince canned sardine. The name came directly from Norway, where every type of sardine had a different name: Crown Prince, Three Star, etc.

Crown Prince was by far the most popular item among Case’s customers, so when, by 1985, the company had branched out to provide seafood from countries beyond Norway, “Crown Prince” was a good way to reflect that change while giving a nod to the company’s origins nearly 40 years prior.

Crown Prince Sardines through the years: from Norway to Scotland, Crown Prince only sources the highest quality sardines, which are available in a variety of sauces and oils.

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