NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Organic aquaculture is admittedly not the first thing that comes to mind when I think of hot sectors, but the work being done by Primar is not about the latest IT trend or fashionable stock pick, it’s about slowly but decisively attempting to change the way an industry functions.

Much like DryWash, another Brazilian company I highlighted last week, Primar is surrounded by competition that operates informally and without quality standards. The company has taken a leadership role in changing this trend in addition to being the first producer of organic shrimp. Primar faced making this shift or going out of business several years ago when the price for conventional shrimp dropped. Because of the company’s small size, it was flexible enough to quickly make this transition and adapt to new market signals.The enterprise’s pioneering attitude has paid off as it has made tremendous gains in revenue and growth since then. You can hear about the challenges Primar has faced in our interview (in portuguese) here. It’s a great entrepreneurial story told by an academic-turned-businessman whose family practice could make major changes in Brazilian aquaculture.

By the way, for our readers around the world who didn’t catch the cultural reference in the title of this post, I direct you to the winner of Best Original Song in the last Oscars.