In a marketplace saturated with forgettable tins and fishy origin stories, one Far North Queensland company is quietly rewriting the rules. Little Tuna, based in Cairns, is not your average pantry staple—it’s a provenance-led powerhouse challenging the global seafood supply chain with something radical: truth in a jar. No filler, no foreign factories. Just clean, line-caught Australian albacore, processed locally with a precision that borders on reverence.
Behind the label are Kate and Rowan Lamason, a husband-and-wife team whose lives are tethered as much to the Coral Sea as to the Cairns kitchen where their idea first took shape. Rowan’s family has fished these waters for more than 30 years, running a fleet of longline tuna boats. Kate, a CPA accountant turned seafood advocate, brought structure, sustainability and a bold vision to the dream. Their core question was simple: Why is Australian tuna being sent overseas for processing, only to return as a generic, anonymous product on supermarket shelves?
The answer was Little Tuna—locally caught, locally processed, and unmistakably premium. In early 2025, they expanded on that answer with the launch of a second brand, East Coast Tuna Co., which delivers the same high-quality Australian tuna with a focus on making it more accessible to more households—while continuing to support Australian fishing families. The new brand quickly drew attention after being featured on ABC’s Landline.
From Coral Sea to Kitchen Table
Little Tuna sources its albacore using sustainable longline fishing methods that limit bycatch and help protect ocean ecosystems. Once landed in Cairns, the tuna is processed in small, carefully managed batches. Each fish is hand-cut, gently steamed (never boiled), and packed into glass jars with a choice of Australian-sourced infusions that balance subtlety with punch—think lemon myrtle, chilli, olive oil, and pure spring water. No preservatives. No powdered brine masquerading as flavour.
The result is tuna that doesn’t apologise for being in a jar. It’s firm yet flaky, naturally savoury, and prized by nutritionists, chefs and fastidious home cooks alike. If most commercial tuna tastes like a compromise, Little Tuna tastes like a decision.
A Brand Anchored in Place
Little Tuna began as a small idea in a Cairns kitchen and has since grown into a nationally recognised name in premium preserved seafood. Proudly rooted in Far North Queensland, this family-run business continues to operate from its home base while supporting the broader wild tuna fishing industry, which spans the East Coast in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery.
Partnering directly with Australian fishing families—from Cairns to Mooloolaba and beyond—Little Tuna exclusively sources sustainably line-caught albacore from waters internationally renowned as some of the most prolific and pristine fishing grounds in the world. Every jar is the product of traceable, responsible fishing and 100% Australian ingredients—making Little Tuna the only company in the country to offer locally caught and preserved Australian tuna at this scale.
But their story doesn’t stop at the label. It comes to life through recipes, fisher profiles, and behind-the-scenes moments shared with a growing online community of tuna lovers and conscious consumers.
Leadership in Action
Kate Lamason’s role in reshaping Australia’s seafood landscape continues to gain momentum. In 2023, she completed the National Seafood Industry Leadership Program (NSILP), reinforcing her commitment to sustainability, innovation, and gender equity in the sector. In 2024, she was named the Queensland winner and national finalist in the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award—recognised for her leadership in driving change within the tuna industry and beyond.
Little Tuna’s impact now reaches well beyond the seafood sector. The brand has been featured in Qantas Travel Insider as a “Big Idea,” appeared twice on ABC’s Landline, and continues to attract national attention for its values-led approach to food and regional manufacturing.
This year, the Lamasons also brought Australian pro surfer Sally Fitzgibbons on board as a brand ambassador, expanding their message around sustainable seafood to a new generation of active, mindful eaters. Collaborations with leading nutritionists and sports professionals further amplify the brand’s commitment to real food that fuels, nourishes, and respects its source.
The East Coast Tuna Co. Story
While Little Tuna remains boutique, jarred, and locally processed, East Coast Tuna Co. offers a practical solution for broader reach. Using the same premium, line-caught albacore from Australian fishing families, the range is tinned offshore in a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified facility in Thailand—a necessary move, given the lack of large-scale canning infrastructure in Australia.
Each tin carries a QR code linking back to detailed catch information—right down to the vessel and crew—providing a level of transparency more commonly found in wine or single-origin coffee.
“We’re not done, and we’re not giving up on processing locally,” says Kate. “Long term, we want to see Little Tuna bringing large-scale canning infrastructure back to Australia. But until then, we’re focused on doing this the right way, not the easy way.”
Food With a Backbone
What sets Little Tuna—and now East Coast Tuna Co.—apart isn’t branding or buzzwords. It’s a rare mix of culinary care, industry integrity, and unwavering transparency. In an era of greenwashing and supply chain sleight-of-hand, the Lamasons have built something lasting, with salt under its nails and values at its core.
Little Tuna isn’t just a local success story—it’s a national movement born in Cairns. Backed by purpose, not just profit, it’s changing how Australians eat tuna and how they think about where it comes from. From the Coral Sea to kitchen tables across the country, this is food you can feel good about—and food that’s helping reshape the future of Australian seafood, one jar (and now one tin) at a time.
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