AquaPri: Fish blood in its veins for a hundred years

Fish production is imbedded in Priess DNA. The family behind the Danish company AquaPri has proud roots in the Danish seafood industry, and their story goes back to 1900 and the small fishing town of Glyngøre in Northern Jutland. There, a determined 14-year-old Anders Priess started Priess & Co, selling fresh fish from the local ports.

Much has changed since then, but fish is still in the veins of the family. Today, the fourth generation continues to bring high-quality seafood such as farmed trout, trout caviar and, more recently, the luxurious freshwater fish zander to discerning European consumers.

‘Farming fish is in our DNA’

“All we think about is fish, fish, fish – from the moment we wake up until we go to bed, 24/7,” says part-owner
Henning Priess, with a smile. “That’s life for a Priess and I am afraid the same applies to our 90 employees.”

Protecting nature

Fish farming is the most sustainable form of animal protein for human consumption, but AquaPri takes sustainability even further. “We want to make room for coming generations, so we need to protect the environment
and take care of the resources around us,” says Priess. “We constantly optimise our methods of production; for
example, by cleaning and reusing the water again and again.”

Zander – a new challenge

In 2016, AquaPri opened a new indoor facility for zander, also known as pike perch, using the newest technologies
for water treatment. As with its trout farms, AquaPri controls the entire chainfrom egg to adult fish. This guarantees
the consumer a product which is free from GMO and additives. “We try to farm our fish in the most natural way. A
strong and healthy fish in a healthy environment is better for us – and for the consumer,” Priess stresses.
Farming a new species like zander was a challenge, even with 100 years of farming experience. “However, tackling a tricky fish to farm has the advantage that we are still one of the few companies, and the largest, in the world to have succeeded,” Priess notes. “We feel quite proud to have http:come this far, having struggled for more than ten years.”

Food safety matters

Priess adds: “Full traceability is a prerequisite for our food safety throughout the entire production cycle. We know exactly with what the fish are fed, and what our finished products contain. We want our customers to know exactly what they eat.”