Fishes was founded by Bart van Olphen in 2002. Some ten years earlier he was working as a chef in Lucas Carton, a three-star Michelin restaurant at Place de la Madeleine in Paris. There, fishermen used to come in every day with their small-scale catch straight from the coastal waters. It was with so much pride that they brought their crates of fabulous fish into the kitchen. That was a new experience altogether…
Amsterdam needed a new shop with delicious fish, and with a tale to tell. Where does the fish come from? How is it caught and by whom? And of course this fish had to come from a healthy fish stock, in other words, it should be sustainable.
The first Fishes branch opened in Amsterdam, on Utrechtsestraat. The formula soon proved a success and new branches followed quickly. However, the range of fish that satisfied the Fishes requirements was limited. In 2007, Fishes was the first retailer on the European continent to be awarded the MSC quality label for sustainably caught fish, yet there wasn't much certified fish to market. And that is why Bart van Olphen decided to set off into the world to find the smartest and best fisheries himself.