Our History - Biloxi Freezing

1995

How We Got Started

Biloxi Freezing & Processing, Inc., was founded in 1995 with a focus on providing value by processing shrimp for other seafood processors, and expanding the company into the public cold storage business.

In time, our business relationship with our largest customer, M&M Shrimp Company, transitioned into a friendship between the Mavar & Suarez/McLendon Families.

2006

The Perfect Partnership

In 2006, BF&P and M&M Shrimp Company merged to create a better infrastructure for both companies, creating a competitive advantage in the market place.

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Since the union of the two companies, we continue to grow at a rapid rate. Our third-generation President, Mark Mavar and Vice President, Jonathan McLendon embody a new generation of cutting-edge shrimp processors, who are constantly creating efficiencies to move our business forward. With a 20,000 square foot processing facility, we have pioneered the use of optical laser sorting machines in the U.S. shrimp industry, and have worked with suppliers to make all processes faster and more efficient. Over the past 10 years our company has tripled production, and we project an additional 25% increase over the next five years.

We believe that great things happened when we joined forces with M&M Processing. The seafood legacies provided by the Suarez/McLendon and Mavar families guide our success; and with a lineage that is over 175-years strong, we continue to move large volumes of high-quality, wild-caught domestic shrimp.

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1927

The Suarez/McLendon Heritage

Jonathan’s roots go back to his great grandfather, Joseph Suarez, who opened Suarez Seafood in 1927 at 408 Lee Street in Biloxi. The retail market offered oysters, crabs, fish and shrimp, and back then there was a lot of bartering, such as an exchange of flour or milk for fresh fish. Although the original building is no longer standing due to Hurricane Katrina, the property is located around the corner from Biloxi Freezing.

1898

The Mavar Heritage

The Mavar seafood legacy began when John, Mark’s grandfather, emigrated to Biloxi from Croatia in 1898 and later became a deckhand on schooners, while his wife, Olivia Skrmetta, ran a grocery store. By 1926, he owned his own boat, was an experienced commercial fisherman and had saved enough money to buy a small piece of property on the beach to unload boats. This eventually led to the successful entrepreneurial venture of Mavar Shrimp & Oyster Company.

Victor, Mark’s father, followed the family footsteps and ventured into the business with his brothers. Year’s later, the heritage of the Mavar family still lives on through Mark and a company rooted in passion and honesty for a quality product.