products

Ecuadorian Shrimp

Two reasons for this great reputation are Ecuador's unparalleled natural environment for
shrimp growing, and Ecuador's mature and advanced shrimp industry.

Ecuador's Natural Environment
    Indigenous white shrimp (panaeus vannamei)
    Indigenous blue shrimp (panaeus stylirostris)
    Warm, consistent, equatorial climate
    Clean Pacific waters
    Dark, mineral-rich clay soil

Ecuador's Mature and Advanced Shrimp Industry
    25 Years of Shrimp Farming
    Strong larvae
    Knowledgeable and accessible employment pool
    Advanced facilities and quality-control procedures

Ocean-Caught Shrimp
Ecuador's ocean-caught shrimp are harvested year-round from waters as far North as
Esmeraldas, as far West as the Galapagos Islands, and as far South as the Peruvian
border. Four types of shrimp are harvested: blue, white, brown, and pink, in order of
desirability. Quality is primarily dependent upon the place of harvest (food supply), time
of harvest (moon cycle and molting), and handling (time/temperature).

Natural Select Wild Ocean Shrimp are caught in small batches by hundreds of artisan
producers along the entire coast of Ecuador. These artisan producers are able to provide
product that is fresher than traditional trawler-caught shrimp, since our producers are
essentially all day boats, and fish for only 6-8 hours before returning to port. As well,
dealing with artisan producers allows us to accurately lot each batch of shrimp, so that
all shrimp is traceable to a particular fisherman and a particular fishing ground.

Farm-Raised Shrimp
Ecuador's farm-raised shrimp are primarily white shrimp, with few farmers also raising
blue shrimp. Ecuadorian farm-whites range in color and flavor based on the larvae used,
the location of the shrimp farm, the terroir, and the feed given.

Natural Select's larvae consistently produce A2 and A3 colored shrimp in our farms,
located in "El Oro", or Gold Coast, an area near the southern city of Machala, known for
producing the sweetest, most tender shrimp in Ecuador. Our farms have been using
only extensive, organic farming methods for the past five years, since the recovery from
the whitespot disease, which began in 1999. Our feeds contain fish meal and Vitamin C,
to help keep our shrimp healthy and growing.

Harvesting our farmed shrimp happens at night, with lights shining at one end of the
pond to attract the shrimp. The pond is drained at this end, and the shrimp are captured
in large sieves, which are immediately emptied into larger tanks containing swirling
water, held at 2 degrees Celsius. Once the temperature of the shrimp has been brought
down to equilibrium, they are transported to our processing plant.

Processing
Processing occurs in our HACCP-approved, temperature-controlled plant. Shrimp are
cleaned, sorted, and packaged according to guidelines that are consistently above
industry standard. Natural Select brand shrimp are always packed middle-count with
uniformity from 1.1 to 1.2, depending on size, and are always free of additives. Freezing
is done in small batches or with cryogenics, and product is maintained at -25 degrees
Celsius until ready to ship. Also see

Specifications - Natural Select Brand Shrimp
    Middle Count
    Uniformity < 1.2
    No Additives
    Blast Freezing - 1 Hour
    Maintained at minus 25 degrees Celsius

    Organic Shrimp Information