Oceano Fresco III

Ecosystems provide essential services such as food, fresh water, clean air, and shelter. They mitigate natural disasters, pests, and diseases and help regulate the climate. It is predicted that food production must double by 2050 to meet the demand from the world’s growing population.  A sustainable ‘blue economy’ will play a central role in alleviating the multiple demands on land resources and in tackling climate change. The sector can contribute by promoting a sustainable use of aquatic and marine resources and by providing an alternative source of protein that can relieve pressure on agricultural land.

The cultivation of clams is one of the most sustainable alternative sources of protein used nowadays with less environmental impact. This project will therefore have the following impact:

• Once installed, the offshore farm will have the capacity to capture 266,73 tonnes of CO2 per year, based on an estimated annual production of 600 tons of clams. The cultivation of clams is one of the most sustainable alternative sources of protein used nowadays, with less environmental impact, as no chemicals or artificial feeds are used; as they have a filtering function fighting aquatic pollution; and as they capture CO2 in their shell formation;
• By providing an alternative source of protein, the sustainable cultivation of clams will not only contribute to alleviating the multiple demands on land resources, but also to restoring marine resources and the seas’ biodiversity, by being an alternative to intensive fishing.
• At the moment, Oceano Fresco is constituted by 17 people. When the farm’s operation starts, an increase in staff to 100 people is forecasted in the upcoming years.

This project will also have a positive indirect impact on the local economy, mainly in the area where the farm is installed, Lagos by increasing the incomes of the people who work in this sector.

Click here to read the article "Can the ocean feed us sustainably?" written by Rodrigo Clímaco, responsible by the clam farm of Oceano Fresco.

Puromar Lda is a subsidiary of Oceano Fresco SA and provides the service of the grown-out production in the open sea farm in the Algarve.

Oceano Fresco was founded in 2015 by Bernardo Ferreira de Carvalho. The company is focused on sustainable aquaculture of high-value bivalves (European clams), using scientific research and methods and an innovative approach in the systematic improvement of aquaculture. The company's motto is: “we can regenerate nature if we farm and eat better”. Oceano Fresco is led by a Board of five Directors with scientific, financial, and business experience, including launching and scaling up of start-ups. They are supported by a growing Operational Team (40 people) covering R&D, production, business, and several Advisory Board members with world-renowned fish breeding experts.

The company has built a state-of-the-art Biomarine Center, including a hatchery, labs, and offices in central Portugal, as well as a 100-hectare sea farm off the coast of the Algarve region. With these rare and complementary assets, the company will apply advanced selection and breeding methods to native European clam species of high nutritional and market value, which are presently being replaced in the market by their low-value Asian counterparts (low organoleptic value).

Oceano Fresco was founded in 2015 by Bernardo Ferreira de Carvalho (Founder and CEO).

Since then, the company is proud to have accomplished the following milestones:

• (2015-16) Conducted a field study in key aquaculture countries that confirmed market potential;
• (2015 onwards) Hired a highly skilled and experienced team covering R&D, production, and business;
• (2015 onwards) Awarded €3.5 million in Portuguese and EU grants;
• (2016-17) Completed proof-of-concept projects that confirmed the business model viability;
• (2018) Signed a 25-year land lease concession for the BioMarine center location;
• (2018) Obtained all the required licenses from the authorities to operate the hatchery;
• (2018) Acquired a fully licensed, 30+20-year concession for off-shore farming with 103ha;
• (2018) Established a 5-member BoD combining plant and fish breeding with business experience;
• (2018-2020) Raised €7.5 million in seed and A rounds from 2018 to 2020, from institutional and individual investors;
• (2020) Set up the off-shore farm physical infrastructure in the sea;
• (2020) Built a state-of-the-art BioMarine center, including a hatchery, labs, and offices;
• (2020) Bought a 12-meter boat, that is based in the company's harbor in Lagos;
• (2021) 2,5 million clam seeds ready to be sent to the off-shore farm in Algarve.