Atlantic Fish Co Charts New Territory in Cell-Cultured Seafood

As it ventures into the largely uncharted waters of using cellular agriculture to make sustainable seafood, Raleigh-based Atlantic Fish Co has teamed with the North Carolina Food Innovation Lab and Director Bill Aimutis to prototype its first product — a nugget made from cultivated sea bass. 

In cellular agriculture, producers use cell culture to create protein food products. One of a handful of companies using cellular agriculture to produce seafood, Atlantic Fish Co is the first to produce a cultivated black sea bass product prototype. 

Chief Executive Officer Doug Grant says while other companies focus mainly on tuna and salmon for raw sushi, his five-person team is pursuing the market for sustainably produced, cooked white fish products that can be served year-round at consistent prices.

In Atlantic Fish Co’s first two taste tests, including one with a Charlotte restaurant chef and a seafood distributor, the black sea bass nugget was well received, Grant says.

Grant recently shared more about his company, its work with NCFIL and its future.

How did Atlantic Fish Co get its start?

We started Atlantic Fish Co in earnest two years ago, but five years ago I read an article in Rolling Stone magazine about another company that was using this technology to produce poultry. I got really interested in it and started a podcast covering this industry. Along the way, I became personally convinced that we could apply this technology to seafood.

Ninety percent of wild-caught fisheries are overfished or harvested at maximum capacity. We know that globally we’re going to have to produce twice as much animal protein to feed ourselves by 2050. 

This technology’s not going to displace aquaculture. It’s not going to displace wild-caught fisheries. But it can pick up the slack as a third production option.

Why did you pick a black sea bass product to start with?

Because it is a popular white fish. We worked with about five different species, and the black sea bass cells were growing really quickly and seemed more scalable. 

Which markets are you considering?

We want to focus on food service overall. In the United States, around 70% of seafood is eaten in a food service environment. Going into retail is very difficult with a new technology like this; explaining it at Whole Foods would be tough. 

The idea is to sell directly to restaurants and focus on the chefs who want to give novel culinary experiences to their guests or to seafood distributors who sell to restaurants. 

How did you link up with NCFIL?

There’s a lot of biotech that comes with this. We were looking at San Francisco and Boston, but our investors said, ‘Hey, you should really look at the Triangle. This led us to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, which led to us getting our lab in Raleigh. To do this technology properly, food science and biotech are critical needs, and both of those are in the Triangle.

One road led to another, and we connected with NCFIL and Bill Aimutis. NCFIL has recently received a grant from the Bezos Earth Fund for the Alternative Protein Center of Excellence, and they’ve been heavily involved in this space for a while. 

What services has NCFIL provided?

Product formulation: Our team knows how to do cell lines and grow fish cells. To get that into a food product is another big piece, and that’s where NCFIL comes in. They’ve been instrumental with the food science piece and helping us with hosting the demos, which are awesome for bringing in potential clients. We’ve been very fortunate to have NCFIL as a partner.

What are your plans for Atlantic Fish Co’s future?

It’s important for us to get this out in front of consumers as quickly as possible and then expand to make cultivated seafood common for people in North Carolina and up and down the East Coast. 

We are looking to get to market in the next 24 months at pilot scale. We’re excited to introduce this new food product and new way to make sustainable seafood.

Work with us 

At NCFIL, we’re eager to work with entrepreneurs looking to enter the market with innovative products. We assist with everything from conceptualization to commercialization. Reach out through this online form to start a conversation.