Founded 2018
Our story
Kona Tuna began in the Maldives, where fishing is not simply an industry. It is a way of life passed from one generation to the next. Our tuna is caught using selective pole-and-line methods, with a focus on quality, traceability, and respect for the ocean.
From the moment the fish is landed to the moment it is packed, we work to preserve its natural flavor and texture. Our range brings together carefully sourced tuna, sardines, and olive oil, presented in distinctive packaging inspired by the places and people connected to the sea.
In the Maldives, island communities still go to sea the old way: a bamboo pole, a line and a barbless hook, lifting one fish at a time. We have built strong, long term relationships with these villages, based on trust, fair agreements and respect for a method that larger operators have long abandoned.
The Maldivian atolls sit over deep, clean water where skipjack and yellowfin feed close to the reef. The fish arrive firm, clean tasting and naturally low in mercury. Because each fish is lifted individually, turtles, dolphins, sharks, rays and juvenile fish are simply not part of the catch. There are no nets to drown them and no fish aggregating devices left drifting in the ocean.
Speed does the rest. The fish is graded, cleaned, cooked and sealed within hours of landing, which is the only real way to keep the texture and the sweetness of freshly caught tuna. The extra virgin olive oil is shipped from central Spain to the Maldives, where the tuna is canned. Other ranges are packed in Thailand or Spain.
From Morocco, with the season. Each season, sardines move along Morocco's Atlantic coast. We take what meets our standard: fresh, carefully selected and limited by nature.
In Morocco, as in the Maldives, we work directly with local fishermen and women in the villages. These relationships are built slowly, through repeated seasons, fair prices and trust. We do not buy through layers of middlemen. We know the people who catch the fish, and they know we will be there when the next season comes.
Today, Kona connects fishermen, producers, retailers, and consumers across markets. We believe responsible fishing should not mean compromising on taste, and that every can of tuna should carry a sense of origin, purpose, and care.
Pole and line. Nothing else.
Pole and line, the old way
Crews fish standing shoulder to shoulder at the stern, spraying water to bring the school up and lifting fish aboard one at a time. It is slower, harder and more skilled than industrial netting, it keeps island villages working, and it leaves the rest of the ocean alone. It is the only method we buy from.
On the water
A day of fishing in the Maldives
One fish at a time. Watch how our crews work.
End to end
One company, every step
Most seafood brands buy fish that has already passed through several hands. Kona does not. We control the journey from the moment the tuna is caught until it reaches the shelf or the final customer, across the Maldives, Thailand and every shipment in between, and that kind of end-to-end ownership is rare in the tuna industry.
Each stage is owned or directly managed by Kona.
Catch to can
The tuna is cleaned, cooked and canned within hours of landing in the Maldives. Other ranges are packed in Thailand or Spain. Every step runs under HACCP-based controls and third-party audited standards.
Cold chain and storage
We run our own temperature-controlled storage and logistics, so nothing sits in a facility we do not know or trust.
Quality labs
Our own laboratories run year-round sampling and testing, including samples taken from retail shelves, for histamine, heavy metals and food safety, with full documentation available for buyers.
Direct distribution
From warehouses to shops and to the final customer, our own fleet and team handle delivery, feedback and aftercare.
Join the team
We are always interested in people who care about the sea as much as we do, at sea, in the plant and on the road.
Contact