The future of shrimp culture
The world is dealing with multiple – often conflicting – challenges regarding climate change and food security: on the one hand, there’s a recognized need to transition to ‘cheap’ proteins, such as certain types of fish (a cow consumes 10kg of feed to produce 1kg of meat, while shrimp require only 1.5kg of food per kg) – on the other hand, there is a global shortage of fish and the state of our oceans is rapidly deteriorating; we want to increase local food production to reduce dependence on imports, and the associated costs and carbon footprint – but we don’t necessarily have the resources to enable this close to market.
Lying right at the sweet spot where these challenges can be solved, aquaculture has never been as relevant as it is today. And ECOshrimp is the ideal solution.
Based on the tried-and-tested RAS technology of our parent company, AquaMaof, ECOshrimp offers a new solution in the category for growing fresh, healthy shrimp on land, with no chemicals and no antibiotics. Backed by over four years of research, ECOshrimp has successfully completed a proof-of-concept at a small-scale facility in Israel.
The ECOshrimp vision sees consistent, methodological production at the heart of future shrimp culture; and sustainable, local production (on a relatively small area of land) enabling self-sufficiency and promoting food security. With hardly any competitors in our intended destinations – the US and Europe – we are in a great position to become first to market with an economically-viable product capable of producing up to 100 tons of shrimp per year.
A critical part of our business model is that ECOshrimp is willing to partner in every facility, sharing our knowhow, overseeing operations to ensure that growth guidelines and protocols are followed, and even supplying the right brood stock (PL) and feed. With a relatively low initial investment and ECOshrimp taking a share of the risk, the projected IRR is expected to exceed 20%. As we continue to improve the production process, and the capacity of our facilities, this return on investment will grow.
Today’s consumers are actively demanding sustainable, healthy, traceable produce. They are aware of the health benefits of consuming fresh, protein-rich, chemical and antibiotic-free shrimp. By creating an alternative, sustainable source of seafood that can be established close to market, without disturbing natural habitats or exploiting our oceans, RAS aquaculture technology is the future. The potential is vast, and what we have achieved so far with shrimp is just the tip of the iceberg. Now is the time to invest.
