German RAS farmer secures £33m for expansion

Oceanloop, a German aquaculture technology company developing software-driven recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), today announced that it had secured up to €38.5 million (£33m) to scale its technology and expand production of giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) in Europe.

The company said that after several years of biological and technical development, it had become the first company to farm the species in Europe.

Sales from its existing land-based farm in Strande near Kiel on northern Germany's Baltic coast began in April 2026 through Oceanloop’s sister company Honest Catch, marking the transition from R&D to commercial production. The existing facility is expected to supply approximately 20-30 tonnes per year.

The new financing will support Oceanloop’s next stage of growth: construction of a 250-tonne farm in Kiel starting by the end of 2026, followed by a 2,000-tonne commercial facility on Gran Canaria, with construction currently planned to start in 2029.

The financing combines new equity commitments from aquaculture investor Hatch Blue’s Blue Revolution Fund and Stolt Ventures, the venture investment arm of land-based flatfish farms owner Stolt-Nielsen, with a €32m venture-debt facility from the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The EIB financing is backed by the European Union’s InvestEU programme and supports Oceanloop’s research, development and commercial expansion in Germany and Spain.

Industrial scale-up

“This financing marks the beginning of Oceanloop’s industrial scale-up,” said Dr Fabian Riedel, founder and chief executive of Oceanloop. “Together with our shareholder and technology partner Sander, we have spent more than a decade developing, operating and continuously improving land-based marine aquaculture systems.

“With Hatch Blue, Stolt Ventures and the European Investment Bank, we are bringing together specialist aquaculture investment expertise, decades of commercial seafood experience and long-term European growth financing. This gives us the foundation to scale Oceanloop from proven technology into an international aquaculture platform.”

Construction of the 250-tonne farm at Kiel is scheduled to begin this year. The facility will serve as both a commercial production site and a reference platform for the broader rollout of Oceanloop technology, and will combine farming operations with applied research, biological optimisation, laboratory services, digital monitoring, software development and operator training.

Operational data from Kiel will be used to continuously improve farm design, feeding strategies, animal welfare, energy efficiency and production performance across future Oceanloop facilities.

Gran Canaria

The planned facility in Gran Canaria is intended to become the company’s first industrial-scale production platform and is being designed as an integrated platform covering hatchery operations, farming, processing, digital farm management and quality control. Its location combines access to seawater, renewable-energy potential, aquaculture expertise and proximity to important European seafood markets.

Oceanloop already has a local subsidiary on Gran Canaria and is currently advancing project development, planning and site-related activities.

The company said giant grouper is a species particularly well suited to the company’s land-based farming platform. It is one of the world’s largest and most highly valued grouper species, and is renowned in Asian premium seafood markets for its firm white flesh, delicate flavour and exceptional culinary versatility.

By producing the fish in Europe, Oceanloop aims to establish a new premium seafood category for European gastronomy while offering a differentiated and more sustainable alternative to long-distance imports.

Oceanloop said its focus on giant grouper will also demonstrate the versatility of its RAS platform. Its technology is modular, software-controlled and adaptable to different marine species, farm sizes and regional operating requirements.

The company said it is already in discussions with potential international partners interested in deploying Oceanloop technology for regional shrimp production. These discussions include potential licensing arrangements, strategic partnerships and joint ventures in import-dependent seafood markets.

“Our own European farms will initially focus on giant grouper, but the wider Oceanloop platform is designed for international replication across different species and markets,” said Dr Bert Wecker, founder and chief technology officer of Oceanloop. “We see significant interest from partners that want to produce premium seafood closer to consumption without having to develop the required biology, engineering, software and operational expertise from the ground up.”

Oceanloop was formed in 2023 by bringing together two of Germany’s pioneering forces in land-based marine aquaculture: Crusta Nova, one of Europe’s first commercial RAS shrimp producers, and the marine engineering and water-treatment expertise of Sander, Förde Garnele and neomar.

The company combines more than a decade of commercial farming experience with engineering, biology, software, laboratory services, product development and direct market access.

Honest Catch

Sister company and seafood brand Honest Catch, founded by Oceanloop CEO Riedel, is serving private consumers across the DACH  (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) region through its direct-to-consumer e-commerce business and supplying gastronomy and retail partners in Germany and Austria.

Georg Baunach, founder and chief executive of investor Hatch Blue, said: “Oceanloop has demonstrated the quality of the product, the strength of the technology, and a clear market strategy, backed by a team that combines technical expertise, biological understanding and commercial savviness.”