Humboldt Trading was started 36 years ago in 1982 as a family business specialising in international food trading.
Humboldt Trading is named after the Humboldt Current (also called the Peru current) which is one of the largest currents in the world and it flows north along the western coast of South America, mainly Peru and Chile.
With family ties to Peru and the Humboldt Current rich in seafood, it was a fitting and standout name for a company that made its name in seafood trading across the world.
A little more about the Humboldt Current.
The Humboldt current was named after a German naturalist and geographer, Alexander von Humboldt, who devoted much of his work to South America. As mentioned above, the Humboldt current is rich in fish, contributing roughly 18% of the worldwide marine fish catch. As one of the largest and most productive ecosystems in the world, it produces some of the most successful fisheries, producing sardines, mackerel, anchovies, hake and squid.
The Humboldt current is currently under threat from and affected by climate change, as well as by human factors such as overfishing and pollution. However, Peru and Chile have joined together in regional cooperation in managing the ecosystem.
Fun fact: The Humboldt Squid which is a large predatory squid living in the Humboldt current, is part of the giant squid species from which the Kraken legend is believed to come. Although there is no evidence that such large squids existed, it is a topic that still fascinates to today. In this BBC article, it goes through the history and scientific findings of the giant squid. While the Humboldt Squid, with an average length of 1.5m is not the biggest species of giant squid and not nearly big enough to drag people from boats, it is one of the more aggressive species and has been known to attack humans. They are also called Diablo Rojo (Spanish for red devil) by fishermen, because of the colour they flash when they are feeding or in attack mode.