Avenue Vine: Kona Blue Water Farms Raises $2.6 Million Investment Round

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January 19, 2008

Kona Blue Water Farms Raises $2.6 Million Investment Round

Kona Blue Water Farms has raised $2.6 million to expand its current operations in Kona, Hawai’i, and is seeking further funding to begin international expansion.

Kona Blue Water Farms, the first integrated hatchery and open ocean aquaculture operation in the United States, sustainably raises Kona Kampachi®, a Hawaiian yellowtail fish. The Company’s open ocean production techniques allow it to grow the Kona Kampachi in water over 200 feet deep, with no significant environmental impact. Nurtured from hatch to harvest, Kona Kampachi has one of the highest concentrations of Omega-3s of any fish, with no detectable mercury or other contaminants, and no hormones or genetic engineering.

Recently named by Food and Drink magazine one of the top green products of 2007, Kona Kampachi has been enthusiastically welcomed by chefs and consumers who are increasingly concerned about the safety and sustainability of their seafood.

“We’ve had a very positive response to Kona Kampachi from consumers, who appreciate that it’s the purest, safest, and healthiest fish on the market,” said Michael Wink, Kona Blue CEO. “But what we’ve really found is that once people taste it in supermarket demos, they’re sold. We’re very proud to offer such a delicious, high quality product, and are delighted that chefs and consumers care as much as we do about producing in an environmentally sound manner.”

Kona Blue Water Farms continues to enjoy strong sales growth with a 200% increase in monthly sales in 2007. The Company recently moved its headquarters from Honolulu, Hawai’i to San Francisco, California to be closer to its customer base and better serve increasing demand.

ABOUT KONA KAMPACHI:
Kona Kampachi is a premium, versatile Hawaiian yellowtail endorsed by top chefs nationwide. A healthy fish with among the highest levels of Omega 3’s and no detectable amounts of mercury, Kona Kampachi is a top quality sashimi-grade fish with no additives, genetic engineering or hormones. From the leader in eco-friendly aquaculture, Kona Kampachi provides numerous environmental benefits while raised by marine biologists at Kona Blue Water Farms in deep open ocean off the Kona, Hawai’i coast. Sustainable, grown from hatch to harvest, there is no depletion of wild fish stocks nor measurable environmental impact on water quality or coral reefs. Kona Blue, the first sustainable operation in the United States to grow fish in the open ocean from an integrated hatchery, is committed to building an environmentally sustainable future through marine fish hatchery technology, sustainable feeds, and open ocean aquiculture.