Sinaloa, Mexico-based Del Pacifico Seafoods, which specializes in wild-caught Mexican shrimp, is launching a line of responsibly farmed shrimp and oysters at Seafood Expo North America, taking place in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., from 13 to 15 March, 2022.
Del Pacifico is expanding into aquaculture because “since starting the company in 2014, we have seen year-over-year demand for our shrimp across retail and foodservice,” Del Pacifico CEO Rubén Castro said in a press release.
“Wild shrimp alone cannot sustain this growth,” he said.
Del Pacifico Vice President of Sales Jennifer Barrett told SeafoodSource her company has realized 10 percent sales growth in 2020-2021.
“Both frozen and shelf-stable seafood sales increased last year, indicating that consumers are eating more seafood,” Barrett said. “As people started cooking at home more than ever, consumers went out of their comfort zone and purchased products that weren’t typical for them as a way to switch up their recipe repertoire or disrupt their dinner routine with something new.”
Supporting sustainable shrimp-farming practices enables Del Pacifico to "meet a growing demand, while also maintaining our wild shrimp stocks and commitment to sustainability,” Barrett said.
Its new Aquaculture Stewardship Council-certified Pacific white shrimp is responsibly farm-raised, antibiotic-free, chemical-free, and preservative-free, Barrett said.
“The white shrimp adhere to the same sustainable methods of harvesting and processing at the company-owned state-of-the-art processing facility where the shrimp are processed, flash-frozen once and shipped within just a few hours of netting,” she said.
Del Pacifico’s new Pacific white snook are line-caught by local artisanal fishermen on small day boats using traditional hook-and-line fishing practices off the coast of Nayarit, Mexico.
Del Pacifico has also begun supplying Palmita Bay oysters, sustainably farm-based in their natural habitat. Sinaloa has long produced some of the best oysters, “famous for their exquisite, clean flavor among locals in northwestern Mexico,” according to the supplier.
“Up until recently, the availability of oysters was limited due to restricted capacity. When these restrictions were lifted, Del Pacifico brought together five local fishing co-ops at Bahía de Altata, Sinaloa, and provided them with seeds, technical resources, and working capital so they could significantly elevate the quality and production volume,” Del Pacifico said.
Del Pacifico will display its new products, along with its Fair Trade-certified wild-caught Mexican shrimp, at Booth #2733 at SENA.
Photo courtesy of Del Pacifico Seafoods
