The Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP), Ecuador’s National Aquaculture Chamber (CNA), and Gastronomy Open Ecosystem (GOe) have signed an agreement to advance research, innovation, and training on Ecuadorian shrimp’s use in culinary preparations.
GOe – the Basque Culinary Center’s gastronomic innovation hub – will host the project at its GOe Tech Center. The goal is to analyze and assess the attributes of Ecuadorian shrimp and the criteria that chefs and other gastronomical specialists in the Spanish market employ in selecting the product, aiming to generate knowledge about Ecuadorian shrimp that can then be shared across wide-ranging culinary networks.
Ecuador is the world’s leading shrimp exporter, and Spain is its third-largest export destination, according to data from CNA.
“How many people who eat Ecuadorian shrimp in Spain know they are eating Ecuadorian shrimp?” CNA Executive President José Antonio Camposano said. “After nearly six decades of development, Ecuador has built a shrimp industry with a strong focus on quality, traceability, efficiency, and sustainability. This partnership allows us to bring that reality to new settings – from fine dining to homes – and help make the product’s origin part of the experience of eating it.”
According to SSP Director Pamela Nath, the information collected under this project will also help Ecuador’s shrimp-farming industry better communicate its advances in good practices, sustainability, and innovation.
“We know how much work goes into responsibly producing premium-quality shrimp, but we want to understand which aspects of that value professionals in Spain recognize and which attributes they value,” she noted.
The project, which is slated to last three years, is another example of GOe’s commitment to excellence and innovation, according to GOe General Manager Joxe Mari Aizega. The hub is supported by the Basque Department of Food, Rural Development, Agriculture, and Fisheries; the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa; and the Donostia-San Sebastián City Council.
