SEAWATER Cubes was founded on 1st August 2018 by Carolin Ackermann (M. Sc. Marketing Science), Christian Steinbach (M. Eng. Engineering & Management) and Kai Wagner (M. Sc. Automation Technology). In order to create a sustainable alternative for the future fish supply, the company has developed the SEAWATER Cube, the world’s first compact, plug-and-play aquaculture system for on land farming of sea fish.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
SEAWATER Cubes: The company’s vision is to establish a decentralized and sustainable supply of fresh fish in Europe, thereby securing the population’s nutrition with high-quality protein. We are active in the food and agricultural technology sector, especially in the aquaculture industry. We focus on saltwater fish farming in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS).
E.E: What’s the news about new products?
SEAWATER Cubes: The SEAWATER Cube is constructed with a focus on high sustainability. The technology is housed in recycled shipping containers on a floor space of only around 100 m². This makes the system perfectly suitable for food production in urban areas where space is limited. Mechanical and biological filters recycle 99% of the water within the system and remove any waste without leaving residues. This helps conserving natural resources and the fish growing up under the best conditions. Our in house developed automation software ensures the production of 7.8 t of fish per year with only 1h of work per day.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
SEAWATER Cubes: In the B2B area, the primary product is the SEAWATER Cube, which we sell to customers as a complete plant concept. In addition, we offer individual components for sale, such as a denitrification system or a flow pump for recirculation systems. We also offer pre-sales support, training and technical service for our customers. Besides, we deliver our customers with all necessary raw materials
In the B2C area, we sell our own farmed fish via our online store and provide fish marketing and sales support to our customers.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
SEAWATER Cubes: The market where we are active is currently evolving as regional food production and independency from suppliers becomes more and more prominent in the food industry. The technology of fully-automated Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) is quite new and we are first mover.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
SEAWATER Cubes: Overall, the trend in food is moving more and more toward regionality in addition to organic quality. This is exactly where the SEAWATER concept comes in, because we want to enable a regional supply of fresh fish. Consumers want to know where their food comes from and, in the case of animal products, they want to be sure that the animals are kept in a manner appropriate to their species and that animal welfare is respected. That is why SEAWATER places particular emphasis on transparency and also allows customers to take a look inside the fish farm. Other market trends that we face are independent food supply and the consumer trend to reduce meat consumption and eat more healthy, sustainable and high-quality.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
SEAWATER Cubes: Definitely the SEAWATER Cube itself, because it is the world’s first compact, plug-and-play aquaculture system.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2022?
SEAWATER Cubes: Following the successful financing round, our business is now picking up speed. We plan our market entry and sales of the first pilot farms this year. In parallel, we develop the series manufacturing of the cube together with our manufacturing partner and are continuously working on system improvements and adjustments to make the Cube even better. Additionally, we are also researching future topics, such as aquaponics. In any case, it remains exciting and we are looking forward to everything that is to come!