September 28, 2017 

Fish farm makes use of brewery waste products as feed

A brewery and distillery engaged in fish farming? Why not?

New York -based Five & 20 Spirits and Brewing has teamed up with fish farming startup TimberFish Technologies to put up a fish production farm at the former's facility, which will introduce a major innovative advancement in seafood production that incorporates unused byproducts from the brewery.

Three different species of fish will be introduced into an aquatic ecosystem that produces its own feed from stillage, brewery wastes and wash waters. "The process removes wastewater, thereby reducing pollution in local streams and lakes. Greenhouse gases are reduced by encouraging reforestation and by shortening the length of the long seafood supply chain, which reduces fuel consumption", Five & 20 Spirits and Brewing said in a press release.

"The technology mimics nature by growing seafood's natural feeds, so seafood produced will have an all-natural taste, texture and health benefit", it added.

It said the fish introduced in September will be ready for harvest in early spring or summer in 2018, at which point Five & 20's onsite restaurant, Bird, will feature the fish.

Longer-term goals include having the fish available periodically for direct-to-consumer sale at the farm, as well as local and regional restaurants and grocery chains.

"Working with TimberFish provides us with a novel way to create a value-added product from what would otherwise be a significant waste stream from the brewing and distilling operations," said Mario Mazza, general manager and enologist at Mazza Vineyards and Five & 20.

Five & 20 said the benefits of the project are threefold: consumers and businesses have access to contaminant-free, high-quality fish at an attractive price; recycling waste from distillery operations allows Five & 20 to take a more sustainable approach to production; and the creation of jobs at the Timberfish site can stimulate the local economy.

In the future, the Five & 20 facility hopes to produce up to two to three million pounds of seafood per year, directly employ over 40 people, and add over $15 million to the local economy.

TimberFish, which develops innovative eco-technologies for aquaculture and agriculture, will also be using a $100,000 grant from Empire State Development and a $10,000 grant from Directed Energy to complete the project. --Rick Alberto

Five & 20 Spirits and Brewing has teamed up with fish farming startup TimberFish Technologies to put

up a fish production farm at the former's facility, which will make use of byproducts from the brewery