Outstanding efforts in Costa Rica

The export of shrimps is an important branch of industry in Latin America, particularly Coast Rica. With the public-private partnership project (PPP) ‘Sustainable catching of shrimps in the wild in Costa Rica’, which was launched in 2003 and successfully concluded in 2006, the company set benchmarks for sustainability.

The small-scale commercial coastal fishermen were persuaded to catch their shrimps according to environmental criteria in order to prevent overfishing and damage to the maritime ecosystem near the coast. Since then, the products caught by them are acquired, processed and exported by Ristic to Europe. This project has enabled us to open up new perspectives to shrimp fishers in Costa Rica and provide them with secure livelihoods.

Environmentally friendly Aquaculture

With a second PPP project that lasted until 2009, Ristic AG broke new ground in the aquaculture field. The focus was on catching shrimps in accordance with strict biological criteria. Shrimps in ecologically intact aquacultures feed mainly on algae and plankton – without the use of additional antibiotics, pesticides or genetically modified organisms. This organic approach is an alternative to conventional products and is an interesting gap in the market for the Coast Rican farmer. The farmers themselves take part in intensive training courses. Ristic AG also guarantees to buy these shrimps for a fixed price that is higher than the price for conventionally bred shrimps.