Lisaqua founders, Charlotte Schoelinck and Gabriel Boneu.
Photo: Lisaqua
Lisaqua, a French company specialising in environmentally friendly shrimp production, has secured €9 million to scale up its operations and develop its first large-scale land-based shrimp farm.
The financing round was led by the Fonds Révolution Environnementale et Solidaire (Environmental and Solidarity Revolution Fund), managed by Crédit Mutuel Impact and backed by Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale’s Societal Dividend. The Belgian investment fund Noshaq and existing backers, including the Le Gouessant agricultural cooperative and Mer Invest, also took part in the round.
Founded in 2018 by Charlotte Schoelinck and Gabriel Boneu, Lisaqua has been developing a proprietary land-based shrimp farming system that combines biofiltration and predictive modelling.
The company says this technology allows shrimp to be produced closer to consumers, with minimal environmental impact and without the use of antibiotics.
Following the success of its pilot facility in Saint-Herblain (Loire-Atlantique), Lisaqua now plans to build a 100-tonne production farm in Monthyon (Seine-et-Marne). The project, supported by France’s Première Usine (“First Plant”) programme under the national France 2030 investment scheme, will also contribute to the company’s ongoing commercial and R&D development.
According to Lisaqua, its system helps protect mangroves, avoids water pollution and makes use of circular processes, such as recovering heat from local waste incineration and recycling farm water. The shrimp are raised without antibiotics or sulphites and are distributed ultra-fresh to restaurants across France.
“This financial transaction is a key step for Lisaqua,” said co-founders Schoelinck and Boneu, via a press release. “After first developing our technology in aquariums, then in laboratories and finally on a pilot scale, this funding will enable us to significantly increase our impact, making our exceptional shrimp accessible to as many people as possible.”
Sabine Schimel, CEO of Crédit Mutuel Impact, said Lisaqua’s model “contributes to a more sustainable food supply” and fits the investment strategy of the Environmental and Solidarity Revolution Fund. “We support the ambition of Lisaqua’s founders and are proud to back the company over the long term, enabling it to scale up and deploy its virtuous technology,” she added.
Meanwhile, Géraldine Hotterbeex, investment manager at Noshaq, said the fund’s participation aligns with its goal of promoting “innovative, sustainable, and technologically differentiating agri-food models”. She also noted that a potential Lisaqua farm in the Liège region of Belgium “could catalyse synergies around waste heat, food tech, and food sovereignty”.
Lisaqua, which employs 38 people, said it aims to expand production further in France and across Europe in the coming years.
