Aquaculture for all

Investment sets stage for German shrimp farm expansion

Shrimp Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) Startups +4 more

A majority stake in CrustaNova, the pioneering Bavarian shrimp producer, has been bought by a group of investors advised by Rigeto.

Crusta Nova currently produces about 30 tonnes of vannamei shrimp a year, in an RAS near Munich

© Crusta Nova

Crusta Nova aims for a future-oriented, sustainable and transparent food production. The company has special expertise in the cultivation of sashimi-grade white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) with the help of a specially developed, software-supported recirculation technology. It also sells a range of seafood to restaurants, food retailers and directly to consumers.

The founder of Crusta Nova, Dr Fabian Riedel, will continue to hold a significant stake in the company. With Rigeto Unternehmerkapital, the expansion of the market-leading position in European shrimp farming, the further growth of the seafood wholesale as well as of the ecommerce business is envisioned.

The focus is on scaling the complementary three business areas of land-based aquaculture, B2B wholesale and B2C e-commerce. This includes the establishment of a corporate headquarter with a brand-store in Munich-Schwabing, the expansion of the workforce at both locations, the expansion of the land-based shrimp production and the continued development of the retail assortment, the further internationalisation, as well as the strengthening of the sales and the e-commerce business with the help of modern IT structures and marketing strategies.

"We have achieved important milestones in the establishment and operation of our land-based shrimp farm, as well as in brand building and establishing long-term customer relationships. With Rigeto, I have the right partner at my side to expand on the growth we have initiated and to now take important steps in the areas of new target markets, product range expansion, digitization, and expansion of sales and marketing, among others," said Dr Riedel in a press release.

"For Rigeto, the investment in Crusta Nova marks the entry into another sustainable growth market with innovative technology. Changing consumer habits such as online grocery shopping, higher consumer awareness for organically or sustainably produced food as well as healthier and protein-rich diets are the current key trends in the food market that are served by Crusta Nova. We are proud to closely follow these important growth trends and to support Dr Riedel in his vision to develop Crusta Nova into the leading, vertically integrated premium seafood brand from farm to direct sales and focused on sustainability and best quality,” said Dr Wolf Hoffmann, associate partner at Rigeto Unternehmerkapital.

Click here for an interview with Crusta Nova's CEO.

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