Description

Oceano Fresco's mission is to contribute to more sustainable food production, by producing high-quality bivalve species through science-driven aquaculture in a pioneer project in Europe. Since January 2020, the date of its first campaign through Goparity, the company has raised 1,3 million euros from the Goparity investor community. With a total of 630,000 euros already raised in 2021 alone.

The amount raised in the first campaigns Oceano Fresco I, II, III, IV, V, and VI has been used to buy equipment to install the first clam off-shore farm in the world, in Algarve. The clams are placed in open sea ponds where they can grow in their natural environment, in a sustainable way.

In the latest campaigns, Oceano Fresco Innovation I and II the company raised 350.000€ to co-finance two research and development (R&D) projects focused on the cultivation of clams. These projects in the areas of genetics and pathology, which will be developed in the hatchery and in the nursery, are highly innovative worldwide. The promotors pioneer project has already provided the company with two incentives totaling 1,4 million euros.

Oceano Fresco will use the funding from this campaign (150.000€) to finance new projects in food innovation to create value for their clients and promote the consumption of sustainable clams in targeted audiences. Specifically, this campaign will be used to collect funds for developing new products, packaging, and organic certification. This is the third R&D project funded by Goparity.

In August 2020, the company started the production of clam seeds in a Marine Bio Center in Nazaré, a pioneering project at the European level, which included the bivalve hatchery, a laboratory for R&D, and offices. In June of the same year, the installation of the offshore clam farm, in Alvor was finished, with an area of 100 hectares, and the capacity to produce 600 tons of clams per year, thus achieving total control of the production cycle of this bivalve.

The Biomarinho Center has already produced tens of millions of clam seeds. The nursery is running according to plan. In recent months Oceano Fresco has received customers in their nursery and the reactions have been unanimous about the high quality of the clams.

The first sales of semi-adults to shellfish farmers (to be seeded) will take place in September 2021. The sale of adults for human consumption is planned for the last month of this year.

Four more staff members have already been recruited, since July 2021, and recruitment will continue to grow in the coming months.

The Impact

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 the sustainable use of aquatic and marine resources and by providing an alternative source of protein with less environmental impact.

Direct:

• Creation of 4 new job positions directly related to the research project, beyond the current 19 employees of the company. Furthermore, depending on the results of the research, the company will hire other 6 to 12 people.
• Increase in the production productivity, in which it will be possible to produce more clams using fewer resources for each Kg produced. The company expects to triple the clam’s production with the same level of resources usage, which they will be able to confirm with tests within the R&D project.
• Investment in research and development (R&D) promotes innovation in the industry, in terms of processes and technology. The project thrives for a greater understanding of clams’ genetics and its main disease, the development of new cultivation technologies but also improved cultivation processes.
• 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.

Indirect:

• Promoting local economy, through collaboration with the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), and the region’s producers.

"Can the ocean feed us sustainably?" written by Rodrigo Clímaco, responsible for the clam farm of Oceano Fresco.

Impact Indicators

1

jobs created

Contribution to the Sustainable
Development Goals

Sustainable Development Goals

Financial viability

Download Key Investment Information Sheet

The Promoter

About Oceano Fresco S.A.

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. Funded in 2015 by Bernardo Ferreira de Carvalho, the company's motto is: “we can regenerate nature if we farm and eat better”. The company 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 (43 people) covering R&D, production, and 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). 

The team

Bernardo Carvalho

CEO and Managing Director

Entrepreneur and independent consultant for leading companies in agro-genetics, pharma, and banking.

Frederico Reis

CCO and Managing Director

Marketing & Sales senior executive with >15 years in FMCG, Consumer Healthcare, Electronics and food Retail across Europe.

Nuno Arantes Oliveir

Co-founder and Advisory Board Chairman

Life Science executive and entrepreneur. PhD in Genetics. MIT Portugal, NOVA-SBE. 200M Fund. Research at Univ. of California.

Olivier Cottet

Member of the Advisory Board

Plant breeding specialist. >20 years experience managing breeding programs at Syngenta.

Stan Allen

Member of the Advisory Board

Shellfish breeding specialist. Director of Aquaculture Genetics and Breeding Technology Center at Virginia Institute of Marine Science (USA)

Josien Bakker

Non-executive Director Aqua Spark

Francisco Belo

Non-executive Directo, BlueCrow Capital

Rui Rodrigues

Non-executive Director, Indico Capital Partners

Business Model

Updates