In 1961, a twenty-five year old man boarded a plane in Frankfurt, Germany with a one-way ticket in his hand.

The History of Alaska Sausage & Seafood

Raised in East Germany during World War II and its aftermath, Herb Eckmann was already familiar with hard work and hardship, and he was looking for the opportunity America offered to develop his future. When he had scrimped and saved enough for his flight, he said goodbye to his young wife and baby son with a promise to send for them as soon as he could, and flew west to Alaska.

In Anchorage, Herb did what he had done his whole life: he went to work. He cooked airline meals, worked at restaurants, and eventually found steady employment as a meat cutter for Lou Comeau at Lou’s Market. There he met Otto Poehling, also a German immigrant. One day over lunch, the young friends were discussing Anchorage’s need for a game processing business. They looked at each other and said, “We can do this.” 

From that conversation, Alaska Sausage & Seafood Company was born. Despite limited collateral, Herb and Otto convinced a local banker to take a chance on them and loan them $6,800 to purchase equipment from Lou. They opened their doors on 9th & Gambell in June, 1963. 

Herb and Otto shared the long hours and heavy lifting in the Company’s early months – checking in moose, hanging and cutting meat, grinding the sausage by hand, and chopping wood for the outdoor smokehouses. They carefully developed the recipes and remained committed to quality and customer service. Slowly the word spread around town that the “German guys” did a good job. More and more meat began to roll in their doors.

The sausage recipes were popular, so to make their products available not just to hunters but to everyone, Herb and Otto introduced commercial sausages made with beef, pork, and reindeer. In 1967 they built the current facility on Arctic Boulevard, which has since seen three expansions. Herb bought Otto’s share of the business and increased the product line to include smoked wild salmon and halibut and a European themed retail store. 

We now supply our gourmet sausages and smoked wild Alaskan salmon to grocery stores and restaurants throughout Alaska. We also ship products throughout the United States through our website and retail store, and we export smoked salmon to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. And we still offer the service that gave us our start: custom processing of wild moose, caribou, and other game meat. 

For 60 years, our Company has been committed to high quality products and excellent customer service. The business has remained in the family, with Herb’s son Martin stepping in as owner in 2007. Herb and Otto are still good friends and walk together every day in the Alaskan outdoors which they both love. 

We are proud of our legacy, a business founded by two young immigrant friends who were short on money but long on hope and dedication. We love our state, and we owe our success to the many customers and friends in the Anchorage community who have supported us and made us successful for 60 years.

For an authentic taste of the Last Frontier, turn to Alaska Sausage & Seafood. Based in Anchorage, AK, this family-owned company has been a trusted provider of high-quality Alaskan sausages and Wild Alaskan smoked seafood products for over 50 years. Explore their wide selection of products online, or contact (907) 562-3636 to place an order.