A family enterprise established in 1966 in the Gulf Coast village of Bayou La Batre, Alabama — run by people who know shrimping firsthand.
When a hard-earned harvest of shrimp arrives at Sea Pearl, we take great pride in making sure it leaves the plant as the finest shrimp available anywhere — the kind you will remember.
Sea Pearl operates as a family enterprise, managed by individuals with direct experience in shrimping operations and deep industry knowledge. That experience shapes everything we do: we maintain strict daily quality-control measures, upgrade our facility annually, and verify weight and count accuracy on every order.
We prioritize product freshness above volume — if a catch falls below our established standards, we refuse to process it.
The Ladnier family can trace its roots to the 1700s, when French settlers came to the central Gulf Coast. The city of Pass Christian, Mississippi was named for a family ancestor, Christian Ladiner — the spelling evolved over the years — and the family has been connected to the Gulf of Mexico and its bounty ever since.
Greg Ladnier's love for the business started in the early 1960s at age 10, working alongside his uncle on a little 30-foot bay boat named the I'm Alone.
It had a little small Case diesel in it. At the time, the ‘try net’ winch was still a manual winch that you had to raise and lower by hand — which was my job. Greg Ladnier
After years working on shrimp boats, Greg's father, Joseph Edmond "Joe E." Ladnier, started Sea Pearl as an oyster business, with Greg's mother, Dawn Castelin Ladnier, deeply involved in running it day to day.
By the 1970s, Sea Pearl had evolved into handling shrimp — unloading them from the boats and sending them to canning plants. When freezing equipment became more readily available, the business grew from there into the quality Gulf shrimp processor it is today.
Today, Sea Pearl is known for setting the standard in quality Gulf shrimp processing, and remains the last original shrimp processor still operating in Bayou La Batre.
The Ladniers believe that to succeed in the shrimp industry, you have to know the business inside and out by working every position — and they do.
Owner
In the business since age 10, Greg has run every station in the plant and sets the standard the company is known for.
Owner / President
Greg's wife and partner in the business, Jan helps lead Sea Pearl as a certified woman-owned company.
IQF Plant Manager
A highly skilled former BMW mechanic, Shawn brought his meticulous touch to the plant's equipment, learned it inside out, taught the crew to run it, and stayed for good.
Administration
A registered nurse drawn back to the family business, Megan now plays an integral role on the administrative side.
We like to see you impressed. The Sea Pearl Motto
Since its inception, Sea Pearl has opened its processes to third-party inspection — and was one of the first plants in the country (plant number 121) to join the U.S. Department of Commerce voluntary inspection program.
Today, Sea Pearl is the only Gulf shrimp processor that is both HACCP and QMP certified under the USDC / NOAA Seafood Inspection Program — the highest quality-management designations awarded by the entities responsible for inspecting every seafood plant in the United States.
The military will only buy 100% Grade A — and as a result of meeting these very high standards, our shrimp go all over the world to the U.S. military. Our commercial customers know they are going to get exactly what we tell them they are getting. We wouldn't have it any other way. Greg Ladnier
Sea Pearl was the first primary seafood processor in the US to be HACCP certified, and we have been inspected regularly since opening.
Sea Pearl Seafood is founded in the Gulf Coast village of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, and begins producing peeled shrimp. From 1966 to 1977, the plant is inspected under the Department of the Army.
Sea Pearl moves to volunteer USDC inspection, which continues to the present day.
Sea Pearl becomes the first primary seafood processor in the US to be HACCP certified, and today maintains dual USDC and FDA HACCP certifications.
Sea Pearl Seafood purchases Boja's Foods. Questions are welcome at Jan@Sea-Pearl.com or AmandaLamey@BojasFoods.com.
Sea Pearl holds WASI and SQF certifications and is an SBA-certified Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) and a State of Alabama certified Women-owned Business Enterprise (WBE). We continue to upgrade the facility every year — still family-owned, still on Shell Belt Road.