Lisaqua Raises €9 Million to Develop its First Low-Impact Shrimp Farm

The Fonds Révolution Environnementale et Solidaire, funded by the Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale social dividend and managed by Crédit Mutuel Impact, carried out this €9 million capital increase to support the industrialization of Lisaqua, an innovative French company specializing in the production of shrimp with low environmental impact and without antibiotics. The Belgian fund Noshaq and historical investors including the Le Gouessant agricultural cooperative and the Mer Invest fund also took part in this operation .

Founded in 2018 by Charlotte Schoelinck and Gabriel Boneu, Lisaqua is taking a new step in its development following the success of its pilot farm based in Saint-Herblain (44). This funding will enable Lisaqua to develop an industrial farm with a capacity of 100 tonnes of shrimp in Monthyon (77), and to continue its commercial developments and R&D efforts. To achieve this, Lisaqua relies on a multidisciplinary team of 38 people (biology, engineering, aquaculture, commerce, etc.). This scaling up is also supported by the government’s “Première Usine” program as part of the France 2030 investment plan.

The farming process developed and patented by Lisaqua allows shrimp to be raised in controlled land-based ponds close to where they are consumed. This breakthrough technology, which combines biofiltration systems with predictive farming models, helps meet the challenges of sustainable food production by combining environmental protection and food quality.

On the environmental front, the land-based farming method developed by Lisaqua contributes to the preservation of mangroves, as conventional shrimp farming is a source of destruction for these coastal ecosystems, which are nevertheless essential for biodiversity and carbon capture. Lisaqua also uses several circularity techniques to limit its impact: recovery and use of heat lost by the department’s incinerator to heat its ponds, bioconversion of effluents and reuse of the farm’s water, etc.

In terms of quality, the shrimp are produced without antibiotics or sulfites, thus contributing to a healthier diet. They are distributed ultra-fresh, and their adoption by many top chefs is a testament to their taste qualities.

Lisaqua is already planning to expand its production capacity, with the extension of the Monthyon farm and the construction of new sites in France and Europe.

Charlotte Schoelinck and Gabriel Boneu , co-founders of Lisaqua, said: “This financial transaction is a key step for Lisaqua: after having developed our technology in aquariums, in the laboratory and then on a pilot scale, this financing allows us to multiply our impact tenfold, to make our exceptional shrimp accessible to as many people as possible. The ESG anchoring shared with Crédit Mutuel Impact and Noshaq allows us to continue our development without compromising on environmental impact: producing more efficiently, with fewer resources, to develop healthier and more sustainable aquaculture.”

Sabine Schimel , CEO of Crédit Mutuel Impact, said: “The technology developed by Lisaqua is a promising solution contributing to a more sustainable food supply. This operation is fully in line with the investment strategy of our Environmental and Solidarity Revolution Fund, funded by the Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale Societal Dividend. Agriculture and the agri-food sector are major investment areas for the Environmental and Solidarity Revolution Fund. We support the ambition of Lisaqua’s founders and are proud to support the company over the long term to enable it to move to a new scale and deploy its virtuous technology.”

Géraldine Hotterbeex , Investment Manager for Noshaq, adds: “Lisaqua embodies our ambition to support innovative, sustainable and technologically differentiating agri-food models. By joining this adventure, we affirm our commitment to local and responsible production. The project to establish a farm in the Liège region, although still under study, represents a strategic opportunity for our territory. It could catalyze synergies around waste heat, foodtech and food sovereignty, in line with Noshaq’s priorities.”

About LISAQUA

Lisaqua, a French impact company founded in 2018, has developed an innovative technology for farming shrimp without antibiotics or sulfites, thus contributing to the objectives of preserving biodiversity and improving nutrition. Lisaqua draws inspiration from nature and has implemented a production method that combines different complementary species to recreate a virtuous marine ecosystem in order to enhance co-products and eliminate waste from farming. Lisaqua’s farming process thus makes it possible to produce high-quality French shrimp, thus meeting crucial challenges: strengthening France’s food sovereignty and feeding a growing world population while optimizing the use of limited natural resources, promoting sustainable food.

About the Environmental and Solidarity Revolution Fund
Managed by Crédit Mutuel Impact within the asset management division of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale, the Environmental and Solidarity Revolution Fund, funded by the societal dividend of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale, is a sustainable impact fund (Article 9 fund within the meaning of the SFDR regulations). With the ambition of having €1.5 billion by 2027, the Fund does not aim for any short-term target financial return in order to prioritize ecological and social added value. The fund aims to amplify the transformation of production models and to intervene in key areas of the climate and environmental transition where financial needs are very significant and other stakeholders are not yet sufficiently present. Since its creation in July 2023, the Fund has made 22 investments.

About Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale
A leading bank-insurer in France with 77,000 employees serving 31 million customers, Crédit Mutuel Alliance
Fédérale offers a multi-service offering to a clientele of individuals, local professionals and businesses of all sizes, via its 4,200 points of sale.

Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale, the first bank to adopt the status of a mission-driven company, brings together the Crédit Mutuel banks of the federations Centre Est Europe (Strasbourg), Sud-Est (Lyon), Ile-de-France (Paris), Savoie-Mont Blanc (Annecy), Midi-Atlantique (Toulouse), Loire-Atlantique and Centre Ouest (Nantes), Centre (Orléans), Normandie (Caen), Dauphiné-Vivarais (Valence), Méditerranéen (Marseille), Anjou (Angers), Massif Central (Clermont-Ferrand), Antilles-Guyane (Fort-de-France) and Nord Europe (Lille).
Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale also includes the Caisse Fédérale de Crédit Mutuel, the Banque Fédérative du Crédit Mutuel (BFCM) and all of its subsidiaries, including CIC, Euro-Information, Assurances du Crédit Mutuel (ACM), TARGOBANK, Cofidis, Beobank in Belgium, the Banque Européenne du Crédit Mutuel (BECM), Banque Transatlantique, Banque de Luxembourg and Homiris.

More information at creditmutuelalliancefererale.fr

About Noshaq

Noshaq is an investment fund and project developer with a portfolio of 478 companies. Noshaq is the leading financial partner for the creation and development of SMEs in the Liège region (Belgium). Over the years, Noshaq has developed a range of financing vehicles aligned with market needs and trends, as well as its own strategy. With an approach focused on environmental and social impact, Noshaq supports companies in their growth and international development.
More information at https://noshaq.be/