Oceana, the home of Lucky Star, is a leading global fishing company and an important participant in the South African, Namibian and US fishing industries. Oceana is a black-owned company and a level 1 B-BBEE contributor.  Oceana distributes their products to over 46 countries globally. It is their philosophy to not only add value for their investors, but also to make a positive impact in the communities in which they operate, which they do in several ways including:

Firstly, by employing almost 5 000 people making Oceana a committed investor in the economy of South Africa and where it has operations.

Secondly, by investing millions in desalination plants at their processing plants on the West Coast in St Helena Bay and Laaiplek; and also ensuring that their internationally caught fish stock gets processed at these plants and thereby contributing to food security and job security of more than 2 500 employees.

Thirdly, the Oceana Empowerment Trust, which represents over 2 400 black beneficiaries allows real broad-based empowerment to be delivered not only directly to its employees, but also to the communities in which they live. #SAINC met Buzelwa Mqeni, who says with the early pay-out she received, she was able to purchase a house, and move out of the shack she shared with her husband and two children.

Lastly, through its South Africanisation Programme, Oceana focussed on transferring skills to unemployed youth by training them onboard the Desert Diamond – one of the country’s largest fishing vessel. It was through this program that Eugene Burgens was trained and finally appointed as the first Black skipper of the same Desert Diamond.

Through all these initiatives Oceana is not only expanding their growth in the global fishing space, but is also playing a significant role in South African society with a mission to Positively Impact Lives.