Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.A.-based seafood company Just Shrimp is debuting its first product, Shrimp Nuggets, in hundreds of Harris Teeter retail stores around the U.S.
“When you look at the frozen seafood set, most of the innovation has been around flavors and coatings,” Just Shrimp Founder Lee Edmondson said of the launch. “We wanted to give retailers a format that’s easy for shoppers to recognize and purchase while taking a more straightforward approach to ingredients and sourcing.”
The new product uses 4-star Best Aquaculture Practices-certified shrimp farmed on Mexico’s Pacific Coast in the Mazatlán region.
“Shrimp from these waters are known for their clean, slightly sweet flavor and firm texture, influenced by nutrient-rich conditions and generations of responsible harvesting and aquaculture experience,” the company said.
By sourcing in North America for sale in U.S. retailers, Just Shrimp said it has shortened its supply chain and reduced reliance on long global shipping routes, helping preserve product quality and provide greater transparency.
“This sourcing strategy stands in contrast to how much of the value-added shrimp consumed in the U.S. reaches retail today. Many products rely on shrimp from inland farms overseas that spend months frozen as they move through long, complex global pathways before reaching processors and store shelves,” the company said.
Edmondson said he saw an unmet need in the seafood industry after learning more about food traceability systems in the U.S. and aimed to solve a complex problem with the new product: limited visibility into the origin of seafood and how distance, time, and added ingredients influence the final product.
“What began as a pursuit of genetic verification in seafood revealed a broader opportunity hiding in plain sight,” Just Shrimp said.
So, Edmondson assembled a team of food scientists, commercial seafood experts, and operators to help mitigate the issue.
“The goal was not to change how consumers eat shrimp but to surface latent demand by making a better option available,” the company said.
After more than two years of research and development, Just Shrimp came to fruition and has launched Shrimp Nuggets.
The product comes in 12-ounce packages with an suggested retail price of USD 11.99 (EUR 10.50).
“Creating a shrimp nugget made with 100 percent real shrimp protein and no artificial flavors, colors, fillers, or preservatives means we're not trying to be the cheapest product on the market. The quality of our shrimp is central to the product, so cutting corners to protect margins isn't an option,” Edmondson said.
Through the release, Just Shrimp is aiming to make seafood easier for families to incorporate into their routines, Edmondson said.
“My own grandson is a great example. He's 12 years old, and while he isn't a fan of shrimp on its own, he loves our shrimp nuggets and burgers. It's not that he doesn't like seafood, it's that he’s more likely to enjoy it when it’s packaged in a familiar, convenient format,” he said. "If we can make high-quality seafood more approachable for families, we have a much better chance of turning it into a weekly staple instead of an occasional purchase.”
