CORPORATE NEWS
STRATEGIC POSITIONING
Ecuadorian shrimp feed firm Alimentsa now part of BioMar Group
BioMar's acquisition of Alimentsa, which was announced in June, has now been completed, with all the necessary approvals obtained.
The Danish aquaculture feed maker said that Alimentsa officially became part of the BioMar Group on Sept. 13. The acquisition will position BioMar among the leading shrimp feed producers in Latin America.
BioMar Group will take over 70% of the shares representing an investment of US$119 million. BioMar Group estimates that the market will prove to be very attractive with growth rates of 8-12 %.
Alimentsa, established in 1986, is a leading Ecuadorian shrimp feed supplier operating within the Ecuadorian market. Ecuador is one of the top shrimp producers in the world and is the third-largest shrimp exporter to the US as of 2016.
Carlos Diaz, the CEO of BioMar Group, explained the rationale behind the acquisition as a unique possibility to create synergies in regard to development and delivery of high-end products and services to the Ecuadorian shrimp farmers, complementing the existing BioMar footprint in the Latin Americas set by the business unit in Costa Rica.
"It is our strong belief that we, through an integration of Alimentsa in BioMar Group, will be able to deliver a new high-end value proposition to the Latin American farmers by merging the highly recognised products and technical services from Alimentsa with our innovative and proven approach to R&D, sustainability and feed efficiency", Diaz said.
"We have in BioMar during recent years built a strong knowledge base within feed for shrimp and we can furthermore contribute with extensive research and experience from other species such as tilapia and marine species", he added.
During the fourth quarter, the different BioMar units will connect with the employees in Ecuador to build the foundation for the future integration of the new business unit.
"We are confident that synergies can be harvested following the acquisition. With Alimentsa as part of BioMar Group, we can immediately deliver an attractive value proposition to shrimp farmers in Ecuador. We believe that in the future, together with the employees in Alimentsa and the customers, we can develop new product solutions based upon our share interest in sustainability, innovation and cooperation with the customers", Diaz said.
FIVE & 20 SPIRITS-TIMBERFISH TEAM-UP
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.
Five & 20 Spirits and Brewing has teamed up with fish farming startup TimberFish Technologies to put up a fish production farm
WITH OVER 30 YEARS' EXPERIENCE IN AQUA RESEARCH
Diamond V is expanding its expertise in aquaculture with Dr. Serge Corneillie, who joins the team as senior consultant, Technical and Business Development, Asia.
"I am delighted to welcome Dr. Corneillie", said JC Filippi, managing director for Asia, based in Bangkok, Thailand. "Serge is bringing tremendous experience to our team with more than 30 years of experience in aquaculture research and business development in Asia. In his new role, Serge will oversee Diamond V businesses in Japan and South Korea and will be leading our growth efforts and support to our aqua business in Asia".
Corneillie earned his doctorate focusing on fish nutrition from the University of Leuven in Belgium in 1989. Early in his professional career, he worked in the Mediterranean marine fish farming industry and later worked for Nutreco/Marine Harvest in the Mediterranean region and in Asia.
Corneillie is based in Tokyo, Japan, and can be contacted at scorneillie@diamondv.com.
Headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA, Diamond V is a leading global nutrition and health company, conducting research in many species, and manufacturing natural, fermentation-based, immune support products to improve animal health, animal performance, and food safety worldwide.
ALGAPRIME DHA
AlgaPrimeDHA, a sustainable, omega-3-rich whole algae ingredient produced by the joint venture partnership of Corbion, N.V. and Bunge Limited, has received the 2017 Global Aquaculture Innovation Award from the Global Aquaculture Alliance. The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) is a leading standards-setting organization for aquaculture seafood. GAA established the award in 2012 to recognize individuals and companies finding new solutions to the key challenges facing aquaculture.
According to GAA, the 2017 Global Aquaculture Innovation Award garnered the strongest competition to date with entries from more than 10 countries. Many of the innovations, including AlgaPrime DHA, originated from the aquafeed ingredient sector.
Walt Rakitsky, Emerging Business & Corporate Account Leadership for Corbion said, "We are extremely honored to receive this award. The Global Aquaculture Innovation Award represents the future of aquaculture, and we believe that AlgaPrime DHA is a key feed ingredient for the industry's continued growth. A new sustainable and transparent source of long-chain omega-3 DHA, AlgaPrime DHA can responsibly enhance the nutritional value of seafood, delivering an important win-win for both people and the planet".
Miguel Oliveira, Bunge's vice president of Global Innovation, added, "Aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing food production systems in the world - a market estimated to reach $200 billion annually by 2020. We're producing AlgaPrime DHA at an unprecedented scale to address this growing need, offering supply chain resilience and on demand production without the constraints of geography, seasonality and changing climate conditions".
AlgaPrimeDHA is currently produced at Corbion's and Bunge's SB Renewable Oils joint venture facility in Brazil. The facility embodies the principles of sustainable production to produce algae-based products with low carbon, water and land use impacts. Based on sugarcane feedstock, AlgaPrime DHA has a lower carbon and water footprint and higher yield per hectare than DHA produced from most other non-marine sources.
On Sept. 29, Corbion completed the purchase of TerraVia, which included AlgaPrime DHA. San Francisco-based TerraVia has developed a microalgae platform to deliver high-value ingredients with clear benefits, such as Omega-3 oils for animal nutrition and tailored oils, structured fats and proteins for food, personal care and industrial applications.
Corbion Algae Ingredients operates an R&D center and pilot facility in San Francisco, a demonstration plant in Peoria, Illinois, and an industrial-scale plant in Brazil in a joint venture (50.1% owned by TerraVia) with Bunge. The acquisition is expected to bring high value creation potential for Corbion.
Corbion is the global market leader in lactic acid and lactic acid derivatives, and a leading company in emulsifiers, functional enzyme blends, minerals and vitamins.
Bunge Limited is a leading global agribusiness and food company operating in over 40 countries with approximately 32,000 employees.
