About Sam Rust

Sam Rust Seafood is a family-owned seafood processor and distributor located in Hampton, Virginia.

We’ve grown from a two-man operation servicing the finest restaurants and markets in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area to over 75 employees servicing customers from Central Virginia to the Eastern Shore, from Richmond to the Outer Banks, and worldwide via refrigerated carriers and air-freight.

Our story began in 1938 when Samuel Cornelius Rust I founded Sam Rust Seafood. From the very beginning, Capt’n Sam instilled the core principles that Sam Rust Seafood operates by today: honesty, integrity, and fairness.

His vision for Sam Rust was not to be the largest seafood distributor, but the seafood distributor that people could trust. This mindset allowed Sam Rust to grow from a small shed housing a few coolers of seafood, to a full-service wholesale seafood facility located in Phoebus, Virginia.

In 1968, his son-in-law, Capt’n Bob (Bob L. Edmonds), joined the business to help turn Capt’n Sam’s vision of growth into a reality.

By 1990, we had moved into our 50,000 sq. ft headquarters in Hampton, Virginia. Our facility has since hosted numerous international and domestic tour groups as a model in the industry.

In 2005, Capt’n Bob retired, but his wisdom and character has remained a source of inspiration as the third and fourth generations lead the company forward.

As we continue to evolve with our ever-changing industry, we consistently provide training to all our team members to ensure our customers receive the best, most knowledgeable assistance possible. Safe, quality seafood and customer satisfaction remain our highest priorities.

Even with eight decades of experience in processing and distributing fresh seafood — Sam Rust is just getting started.