trü® Shrimp hatchery to share campus with production facility

The trū® Shrimp Company, an affiliate of Ralco, announced that it intends to build its first hatchery in Luverne, Minnesota. The hatchery will share a campus with the planned shrimp production facility, Luverne Bay Harbor. Luverne Cove Hatchery will provide for spawning and house larviculture tanks where small post larvae shrimp grow until they are mature enough to be transferred to a Harbor. The hatchery will be able to raise 2 million post-larvae annually, which is enough to supply two fully operational Harbors. “From a bio-security aspect we have been concerned about a hatchery being close to a Harbor. However, in our continuing development we have had an engineering and process breakthrough that enables the hatchery and Harbor to share the same campus.”

November 9, 2017

“From a bio-security aspect we have been concerned about a hatchery being close to a Harbor,” explained Michael Ziebell, President & CEO of trū Shrimp. “However, in our continuing development we have had an engineering and process breakthrough that enables the hatchery and Harbor to share the same campus.”

The 60-acre Luverne campus near Interstate 90 in southwest Minnesota will house Luverne Cove Hatchery, a 42,000 square-foot facility, a free-standing shared water treatment facility and Luverne Bay Harbor.

“Every day we are learning and every day we challenge assumptions,” said Chairman of the trū Shrimp board, Brian Knochenmus. “Previously we could not house the hatchery and Harbor near each other because of biosecurity concerns. We care for these shrimp, and the less stress they are under the healthier they remain. This is a big leap forward for efficiency and the welfare of each trū Shrimp.”

Luverne Cove Hatchery will provide for spawning and house larviculture tanks where small post larvae shrimp grow until they are mature enough to be transferred to a Harbor. The hatchery will be able to raise 2 million post-larvae annually, which is enough to supply two fully operational Harbors. Luverne Cove Hatchery is projected to employ 20 people and the Harbor will employ 60.

trū Shrimp and Ralco continue to expand in Marshall and Balaton, Minn. Ralco is currently consolidating executive and support services within leased office space in Marshall, which remains its headquarters. trū Shrimp is presently constructing Balaton Bay Reef Training and Engineering Center, a multi-million-dollar expansion in Balaton.

“What we are building today is impacting people’s lives now and will continue to impact thousands well into the future. Our choices demonstrate the care we provide for the shrimp we raise, the people we employ and the communities we call home. Holding each in the highest regard is essential to creating the conditions for the safest, cleanest and best tasting shrimp,” Ziebell said.

trū Shrimp had been planning to build a hatchery in Marshall. “Based on previous bio-security assumptions, we thought we could not build a hatchery and a Harbor in Marshall” stated Ziebell. Now we can turn our attention to Marshall becoming home to a future Harbor and hatchery.” The city of Marshall has been working diligently to lay the groundwork for trū Shrimp facilities both with Commerce Park development and improvements to the municipal water systems.

“We recognize the investment that Marshall and its economic development leadership has made into Commerce Park industrial area, and we intend to utilize the area. Marshall is in our plans for future expansion of trū Shrimp.” Knochenmus said.