Bangkok, Thailand-based Charoen Pokphand Foods celebrated the grand opening of Homegrown Shrimp USA, a recirculating aquaculture system shrimp farm in Indiantown, Florida, U.S.A., on 30 March, 2023.
Homgrown Shrimp’s 80,000-square-foot indoor facility is equipped with 40 circular production tanks and eight tanks to recycle water and collect solid wastes, as well as a state-of-the-art water recirculation system, giving it full control of the water temperature at the farm. Additionally, it will operate a hatchery at the site with the capacity to produce more than 60 million postlarvae annually. The farm will eventually product up to 720 metric tons of shrimp annually, running four crops per year.
“This marks a significant step for [CP Foods] as it expands its presence in the developed market of the United States while maintaining a strong focus on sustainability,” the company said in a press release.
CPF Executive Vice President Robins McIntosh has led the development of the farm. At the opening, he called it an “innovative, industry-changing pioneering effort.”
“It is with disruptive technology being developed and optimized here that aquaculture becomes one of the solutions for our deteriorating oceans,” he said. “Our mantra is ‘Saving the oceans and helping feed people through aquaculture.’ Ultimately, as more knowledge is gained and efficiency improved in this facility, we envision these projects locally producing shrimp sustainably year-round anywhere in the world.”
Homegrown Shrimp produces Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). McIntosh said in July 2020 the farm will achieve a revenue of USD 2.85 million (EUR 2.5 million) per year if the shrimp is sold at a minimum rate of USD 15.00 (EUR 13.00) per kilogram, and said the farm’s capacity could potentially reach 950 MT of shrimp with revenues of USD 14.25 million (EUR 12.5 million) per year.
Homegrown Shrimp’s hatchery began producing postlarvae shrimp five years ago and has now established sales channels internationally, according to McIntosh, who also serves as the CEO of Homegrown Shrimp.
“HGS now creates in the U.S. a much-desired, premium, wholesome and sustainable shrimp that consumers can enjoy and also feel good about consuming it,” he said.
Attendees of the opening ceremony included Thailand’s Ambassador to the U.S. Tanee Sangrat, Thailand Economic Counselor Thitiwat Sukhasvasti Na Ayudhaya, Thailand Honorary Consul-General Maria D. Sariol, and CP Foods exeuctives Sujint Thamasart and Anat Julintron, as well as Homegrown Shrimp buyers and community leaders.
Robin Pearl, the CEO of American Broodstock and Sun Shrimp, both based in Saint James City, Florida, U.S.A., also attended the ceremony.
“This new shrimp farm represents the pinnacle of Robins McIntosh's shrimp-farming experiences, showing a sustainable and stable way to grow nutritious shrimp of the highest quality,” he wrote on LinkedIn. “America needs to reduce its dependence on imported seafood, and all of us at Sun Shrimp welcome the Homegrown Shrimp team. Florida is poised to become one of the main suppliers of shrimp for Americans and with today's opening, we all took a huge step forward.”
CP Foods was one of the original developers of large-scale shrimp aquaculture, beginning in 1985.
“[Our] pioneering advances in shrimp genetics and in culture system technologies have reduced the cost of shrimp to consumers, made more shrimp available to the huge U.S. market, and made shrimp the top seafood [choice] in the country,” it said.
Photo courtesy of CP Foods
