History

In 1971 Watkins Associated Industries purchased Tampa Maid Sea Products, a small shrimp packer based in Tampa, Florida. At the time, the company processed about 10,000 pounds weekly of various commodity and value-added shrimp and seafood products. Procuring domestic raw shrimp along the gulf coast through company owned waterfront facilities from Key West to Brownsville, Texas, Tampa Maid flourished and expanded the Tampa processing facility several times.

In 1987 Tampa Maid purchased a seafood specialty company, Bayou Foods from General Mills and brought the renowned Cap'n Joe brand of crab specialty items to the product lineup. Tampa Maid purchased a competitor, Bee Gee Shrimp in 1997 and moved operations from Tampa to the acquired company's processing facility in Lakeland, Florida. In 2006, Tampa Maid continued its growth by acquiring Cox's Wholesale Seafoods in Tampa. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Tampa Maid, Cox's (www.coxseafood.com) is the premier supplier of domestic wild-caught Key West Pink shrimp to the retail and foodservice markets. Working together, the two companies provide a variety of both imported as well as domestically produced seafood products for their customers. In 2009, Margaritaville® brand seafood moved to the sandy shores of Florida and Tampa Maid started producing and packing seafood under the brand for the retail markets.